®Planning appeal decision
5 Bellwood Court, St. Mary Hoo, ROCHESTER, ME3 8RT
a single self-build detached house
- Authority
- Medway Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Glassar S
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether or not the site is suitable for a residential development having regard to local and national planning policy for the location of housing
- The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The cumulative harms arising from the unsustainable location with poor access to services and facilities by non-car modes, combined with unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the area, significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of providing an additional self-build dwelling.
The benefits of providing an additional self-build house and contribution to housing supply, together with sustainable technologies and limited economic benefits, attracted considerable positive weight; however, the perennial and long-lasting harms to character and appearance and the location's poor sustainability in terms of access to services and facilities by non-car modes, worthy of substantial weight, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework taken as a whole.
Framework references: 11, 83, 84
Plan policies cited: Policy BNE25, Policy BNE1, Policy H11
Judgments cited: Braintree DC v SSCLG, Greyread Ltd & Granville Developments Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 610
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.