Builders Yard, Mount Pleasant, Parkend, Gloucestershire , GL15 4JY

three detached dwellings, car parking and manoeuvring

Authority: Forest of Dean District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Butcher C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposed development would be in a suitable location, taking account of development plan policies
the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
whether the proposed development would be safe in relation to historic mining activity
the effect of the proposed development on surface water flooding

What decided it

The material harm to character and appearance and the unresolved safety risks from historic mining activity, when assessed against the Framework as a whole, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the limited benefits of housing provision.

The benefits of three new homes and support for local facilities were afforded limited weight and were outweighed by significant harm to character and appearance and safety concerns relating to mining stability, resulting in dismissal under the tilted balance test.

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: Policy CSP4, Policy AP1, Policy CSP1, Policy AP4, Policy CSP2

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.