®Planning appeal decision
Bishops Stortford Community Sports Club, Cricketfield Lane, Bishops Stortford, Herts, CM23 2TD
Extensions, Refurbishment and Part Change of Use (F2(b)/Sui Generis to C3-Groundsman's Flat) to Charles Edwards Community Pavilion, Extension to Carpark and Extension to Cricketers Changing Pavilion (to form Umpire changing facility)
- Authority
- East Hertfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- leisure-sport · Minor retail and services
- Inspector
- Plenty B
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposed development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and any relevant development plan policies
- the effect on the openness of the Green Belt
- the effect of the proposal on highway safety
- if the proposal would be inappropriate development, whether any harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to very special circumstances to justify it
What decided it
The inclusion of a two-bedroom groundsman's flat, which cannot be justified as an exception under paragraph 149(b) of the Framework, renders the proposal as a whole inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and the harm to the Green Belt is not clearly outweighed by other considerations.
The benefits of enhanced sports facilities, improved security, and energy efficiency measures were given limited to moderate weight in favour of the proposal, but these did not clearly outweigh the substantial weight to be given to harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and modest harm to openness, resulting in dismissal.
Framework references: 11, 48, 147, 148, 149
Plan policies cited: GBR1, TRA3, CFLR1, CFLR7, DES5, SP1, SP2, SLCP2, SLCP5
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.