Planning appeal decision
Land Known As Field Adjacent to Burial Ground Driveway, Off B4526 Reading Road, Goring, Oxfordshire, RG8 0LL
Planning appeal 3315454 at Land Known As Field Adjacent to Burial Ground Driveway, Off B4526 Reading Road, Goring, Oxfordshire, RG8 0LL (South Oxfordshire District Council) was allowed in part (a split decision) on 18 September 2024 by Inspector Shields T, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the site provides a suitable location for a gypsy and traveller site with particular regard to accessibility to services and facilities.
material change of use of land for mixed use of Equestrian and Residential, through the formation of 1 no. Gypsy/Traveller pitch providing 1 Static Caravan/Mobile Home and 1 Touring Caravan, alongside ancillary development
- Authority
- South Oxfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- enforcement · Enforcement Notice
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- caravan-gypsy · Minor traveller and caravan pitches
- Inspector
- Shields T
- Postcode
- RG8 0LL
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the site provides a suitable location for a gypsy and traveller site with particular regard to accessibility to services and facilities
- the effect on the character and appearance of the area, having regard to its location in the CNL
- the effect on the amenity of occupiers of neighbouring properties
- the local need for gypsy and traveller pitches and whether a 5 year supply exists
- whether the development was intentional unauthorised development and, if so, the weight that ought to be attached
- the proposed occupiers' personal circumstances
What decided it
The substantial weight given to the significant unmet need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches and the lack of a deliverable five-year supply, which outweighed the limited/minor harm identified for the smaller Appeal C site but was insufficient to outweigh the significant harm found for the larger Appeal A site.
In Appeal C the substantial weight attached to the significant need for and lack of supply of Gypsy and Traveller pitches significantly outweighed the limited harm to character and appearance and minor harm to the CNL, together with the very limited weight against intentional unauthorised development, so the appeal was allowed; in Appeal A the same substantial weight did not outweigh the significant and unacceptable harm to character and appearance and the CNL, so the appeal was dismissed.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy STRAT1Policy H14Policy H14.1Policy H14.2(iii)Policy DES1Policy DES2Policy DES6Policy ENV1GNP Policy 11GNP Policy 16
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 84Paragraph 4Paragraph 182
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
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The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2024
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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.
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