®Planning appeal decision
1 West Street, NEWBURY, RG14 1BE
demolition of the existing building and construction of 24No. flats
- Authority
- West Berkshire District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Hall R
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the surrounding area, with particular regard to the Newbury Town Centre Conservation Area
- whether the proposal provides sufficient outdoor amenity space for its future occupants
- whether the proposal is acceptable with respect to flood risk
What decided it
The proposal failed the flood risk sequential test because the area of search was unduly restrictive and did not demonstrate that there were no reasonably available sites at lower flood risk in other settlements that could accommodate the development.
The benefits of housing supply (moderate weight), removal of a vacant building, preservation and enhancement of the conservation area, and modest economic and social benefits were outweighed by the failure to satisfy the flood risk sequential test and the absence of wider sustainability benefits to justify the exception test.
Framework references: 11, 14, 159, 162, 164
Plan policies cited: Policy CS1, Policy CS4, Policy CS6, Policy CS14, Policy CS16, Policy CS19, Policy ADPP1
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.