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Allowed3 May 20243311477

Land At Rear Of 17 - 49 Church Lane, Sarratt, WD3 6HN

Planning appeal 3311477 at Land At Rear Of 17 - 49 Church Lane, Sarratt, WD3 6HN (Three Rivers District Council) was allowed on 3 May 2024 by Inspector Nunn M, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposals on the Green Belt, including openness.

outline application for the erection of up to 83 new dwellings, a new doctors’ surgery with vehicular access on to Sarratt Road (appearance, layout, landscaping and scale as reserved matters)

Authority
Three Rivers District Council
Appeal type
other · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Inquiry
Development
residential · Unknown
Inspector
Nunn M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • the effect of the proposals on the Green Belt, including openness
  • the effect of the proposals on the character and appearance of the area, particularly the landscape
  • the locational sustainability of the sites
  • the effect of the proposals on highway safety
  • whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify development within the Green Belt

What decided it

The severe and unmet five-year housing land supply shortfall, combined with the substantial housing, affordable housing, self-build and (for Appeal A) healthcare benefits, was found to amount to very special circumstances clearly outweighing the identified Green Belt and other harms.

the substantial benefits of market, affordable and custom/self-build housing, the doctors' surgery, design quality, open space and economic benefits clearly outweighed the definitional Green Belt harm, loss of openness, landscape harm and harm from relatively poor locational sustainability, such that very special circumstances existed to justify both developments individually and in combination

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy PSP4Policy CP1Policy CP2Policy CP3Policy CP4Policy CP10Policy CP11Policy CP12Policy DM1Policy DM2Policy DM6Policy DM7Policy DM12
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 48Paragraph 56Paragraph 57Paragraph 60Paragraph 63Paragraph 109Paragraph 115Paragraph 131Paragraph 139Paragraph 143Paragraph 152Paragraph 153Paragraph 180Paragraph 182
Judgments
R(Holborn Studios) v London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2923; Bernhard Wheatcroft Ltd v SSE [JPL 1982 P37]

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

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More decisions in Three Rivers

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2024

  1. Allowed24 September 20266010198
    Rusper, Nottingham Road, Heronsgate, WD3 5DN
  2. Dismissed9 September 20266011803
    126 Toms Lane, Kings Langley, WD4 8NR
  3. Dismissed12 August 20266006827
    Land Adjacent to Sarratt Lane, Loudwater, WD3 4AS
  4. Dismissed21 July 20266003684
    156 the Drive, Rickmansworth, WD34DH
  5. Dismissed30 June 20266004957
    Land Adjoining Westwood End, Bucks Hill, Kings Langley, WD4 9AS

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.