Land adjoining Pondview, Sturt Green, Holyport, SL6 2JF

outline planning application (all matters reserved other than access) for 4 serviced plots for self-build and custom housebuilding

Authority: Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Savage K

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal amounts to inappropriate development in the Green Belt, including the effect on the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of including land within it
If the development is inappropriate within the Green Belt, whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify it

What decided it

The very significant, overriding weight attributable to the substantial shortfall in Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding plot delivery clearly outweighed the identified Green Belt harm.

The other considerations, principally the overriding weight given to the shortfall in Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding provision together with limited-weight benefits (affordable housing, highway safety, economic activity), clearly outweighed the totality of the harm identified to the Green Belt, amounting to very special circumstances justifying both proposals.

Framework references: 149, 57

Plan policies cited: Policy QP5, Policy HO2(4), Policy HO2(5), Policy SP2

Judgments cited: Julian Wood v The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Gravesham Borough Council EWCA Civ 195 - 9 February 2015

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

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