Land Adjacent to 'Manscombe', Coxs Lane, Stoke Row, Oxon, RG9 5QG

erection of one new dwelling, comprising 4/5 Bedrooms, approximately 240 sqm plus double garage

Authority: South Oxfordshire District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Edwards J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the development would preserve or enhance the landscape character and scenic beauty of the Chilterns National Landscape Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Whether it would be in a suitable location having regard to the policies of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2020 and the Framework
Its effect on biodiversity and protected species

What decided it

The identified detriment to the landscape character and scenic beauty of the AONB caused by the proposal outweighed the benefits of the scheme, and the Framework's protection of assets of particular importance provided a clear reason for refusal under paragraph 11(d)(i).

The benefits of housing delivery (limited contribution to housing stock and support for local businesses) were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the substantial harm to the AONB landscape, conflicts with development plan policies on location of housing, and unresolved risks of harm to biodiversity and protected species.

Framework references: 180, 76, 77, 11

Plan policies cited: STRAT1, ENV1, DES1, DES2, H1, H8, H16, ENV2, ENV3

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.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.