®Planning appeal decision
Land West of Yapton Lane, Walberton
outline planning application with all matters reserved, other than means of access, for the construction of up to 48 dwellings (30% affordable homes) and dental/doctors' surgery (Use Class E (e))
- Authority
- Arun District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Mageean A
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the proposal on the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and on the Barnham to Walberton settlement Gap
- The implications of the loss of Grade 1 agricultural land
- Accepting that the Council is unable to demonstrate a five year supply of housing land, the significance of the shortfall
- The consistency or otherwise of the proposal with the development plan taken as a whole, and whether any conflict and harm arising would be outweighed by other material considerations
What decided it
The acute and persistent shortfall in the Council's five-year housing land supply, engaging the paragraph 11(d) tilted balance, meant the substantial benefits of housing delivery outweighed the moderate and modest harms identified.
The substantial weight attached to market and affordable housing delivery, together with moderate and modest weight for other social, economic and environmental benefits, outweighed the moderate weight given to conflicts with countryside, settlement gap, agricultural land and design policies and the low-level less-than-substantial heritage harm, such that adverse effects did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.
Framework references: 11, 14, 57, 130, 174, 200, 202, 219
Plan policies cited: Policy C SP1, NP Policy HP1, Policy D SP1, Policy D DM1, Policy SD SP3, Policy SO DM1, Policy AH SP2, Policy INF SP1, Policy H DM1, NP Policy HP6, Policy ECC SP2, Policy QE DM3, Policy M9 (West Sussex Joint Minerals Local Plan), NP Policy VE13
The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.