®Planning appeal decision
Land off Lime Street, Eldersfield, Gloucestershire, GL19 4NE
the change of use of an agricultural building to a dwellinghouse (Class C3) alongside associated building operations, and ancillary works
- Authority
- Forest of Dean District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Walker K
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the site would be suitable for housing, having regard to the area's development strategy and the development proposed
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- whether material considerations exist that are sufficient to outweigh any conflict with development plan policy in respect of the above issues
What decided it
The existence of a genuine fallback position in the form of an extant planning permission for a substantially identical dwelling, which would moderate the conflict with the spatial strategy and Framework, combined with the Council's inability to demonstrate five-year housing land supply, meant the presumption in favour of sustainable development applied.
The conflict with the spatial strategy and Framework regarding isolated homes in the countryside was outweighed by the fallback position and the housing land supply benefits, along with economic, social and energy efficiency benefits, such that adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.
Framework references: 84, 11
Plan policies cited: CSP.4, CSP.5, CSP.16, CSP.1, AP 1, AP 4
Judgments cited: Hibbitt v SSCLG & Rushcliffe BC [2016] EWHC 2853 (Admin)
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.