®Planning appeal decision
Land at Bradley Hall Farm, Grappenhall Lane , Grappenhall, Warrington
Planning appeal 3311877 at Land at Bradley Hall Farm, Grappenhall Lane , Grappenhall, Warrington (Warrington Borough Council) was dismissed on 9 September 2024 by Inspector Catchpole R, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Green Belt considerations.
the construction of up to 287,909m² (3,099,025ft2) (gross internal) of employment floorspace (Use Class B8 and B1(a) offices) including change of use of Bradley Hall Farmhouse to B1 (a) office use (335m² (3,600ft²)) and associated servicing and infrastructure including car parking and vehicle and pedestrian circulation, alteration of existing access road into site including works to the M6 J20 dumbbell roundabouts and realignment of the existing A50 junction, noise mitigation, earthworks to create development platforms and bunds, landscaping including buffers, creation of drainage features, electrical substation, pumping station, and ecological works
- Authority
- Warrington Borough Council
- Appeal type
- other · Called In Planning Application
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- employment-industrial · Other Major Developments
- Inspector
- Catchpole R
- Postcode
- WA4 4SL
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Green Belt considerations
- Landscape
- Heritage (designated and non-designated heritage assets)
- Highways
- Air Quality
- Suitability of the Site
What decided it
The substantial harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, loss of openness and encroachment was not clearly outweighed by the other considerations, so Very Special Circumstances did not exist.
Significant economic, social and environmental benefits were weighed against substantial Green Belt harm, significant landscape harm, great weight heritage harm and limited weight loss of BMV land; the balance tipped against the proposal because the harms were not clearly outweighed, notwithstanding that the lesser heritage balance under paragraph 208 favoured the proposal.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- GB1(10)DC1DC2DEV4ENV8AT-D1AT-D2INF1(5)DC1(2)(i)ENV8(3)
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 152Paragraph 153Paragraph 142Paragraph 143Paragraph 205Paragraph 208Paragraph 209Paragraph 115Paragraph 116Paragraph 192Paragraph 56Paragraph 57
- Judgments
- Compton Parish Council v SSHCLG [2019] EWHC 3242
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 appliedThe 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.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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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.