Land adjacent to Hillside House Ashford Hill Road, Headley, THATCHAM, RG19 8AJ

the erection of 2 no. Five-bed dwellings with associated landscaping

Authority: Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: McAndrew R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the site and area

What decided it

The proposed development would unduly harm the character and appearance of Ashford Hill Road by appearing cramped and incongruous within the established pattern of large dwellings in spacious plots, and this harm was not outweighed by the minimal benefits of the scheme given the adequate housing land supply position.

The harm to character and appearance outweighed the minimal social, economic and environmental benefits (housing contribution, construction jobs, CIL contribution, and biodiversity enhancements), particularly as the Council could demonstrate a 4.6-year housing land supply and the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.

Framework references: 12

Plan policies cited: Policy EM1, Policy EM10, Policy HD1, Policy HD3

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.

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