Town Planner Pro
Free trial
Search appeal decisions

Planning appeal decision

Dismissed14 March 20233308965

101 and 101A Pound Lane, Sonning, Wokingham, RG4 6GG

Planning appeal 3308965 at 101 and 101A Pound Lane, Sonning, Wokingham, RG4 6GG (Wokingham Borough Council) was dismissed on 14 March 2023 by Inspector Wallis D, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the character and appearance of the area.

Outline application for the proposed erection of a 4 storey 70 Bedroom care home with associated parking and servicing following demolition of the existing 2No dwellings and outbuildings (Access, scale, Layout and Design to be considered)

Authority
Wokingham Borough Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
community-institutional · Other minor developments
Inspector
Wallis D
Postcode
RG4 6GG

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • the character and appearance of the area
  • climate change objectives
  • living conditions of neighbouring occupiers at Nos 4 and 5 Sonning Gate, and prospective occupiers of plots 3 and 4 Sonning Golf Course
  • assets of the natural environment, including landscape and biodiversity features
  • social infrastructure
  • the need for the development

What decided it

The significant environmental and character/appearance harms, combined with harm to neighbours' living conditions and excessive carbon emissions, were found to demonstrably outweigh the modest benefits of the scheme even under the tilted balance.

the modest package of economic and social benefits (care home provision, housing release, employment) was outweighed by the significant harms to character and appearance, the natural environment, climate change objectives and neighbours' living conditions, so the appeal was dismissed despite the tilted balance being engaged

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
CP1CP2CP3CP5CP7CC03TB06TB12TB21TB23
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 180

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

See how each was applied

The decision letter

Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.

Appeals plan, £15 a month

With an account

What an account adds to this decision

51 other decided appeals within two kilometres of this site. In the app every dot opens its decision, and its letter wherever one was published, and you can draw your own site to see what has been decided around it.AllowedDismissedSplitThis decision
An appeal decision in the app, with the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out beside the letter
Every letter, there to read. We pick out the main issues, the policies and the judgments cited, so you can work through the letter faster.
Searching the full text of appeal decision letters in the app
Search inside every letter. By words or by meaning, filtered by authority, outcome, appeal type and procedure, with every locatable decision on the map and the Inspector named on each.
Start your free trial

More decisions in Wokingham Borough Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2023

  1. Allowed8 June 20263371069
    Land North of Reading Road, Arborfield, RG2 9HN
  2. Notice varied and upheld1 May 20263346384
    Old Billingbear Brickworks, Carters Hill, Binfield, Wokingham, RG40 5RS
  3. Notice upheld10 March 20263374730
    Land at Gravelley Bridge Farm, Grazeley Green Road, Grazeley, Reading, RG7 1LG
  4. Allowed26 January 20263374952
    Unit 10, Land at Headley Road East, Woodley, RG5 4SN
  5. Allowed16 June 20253339712
    Land to South of, Gazelle Close, Winnersh, Wokingham, RG41 5HH

The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.