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Allowed3 June 20243331745

Land North and East of Sniperley Farm, Durham City, County Durham

Planning appeal 3331745 at Land North and East of Sniperley Farm, Durham City, County Durham (Durham County Council) was allowed on 3 June 2024 by Inspector Hockenhull H, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Masterplanning, provision and timing on infrastructure (Appeals A, B and D).

Demolition of existing buildings adjacent to B6532 and outline planning permission (all matters reserved except for access) for a maximum of 1,550 residential dwellings (Use Class C3), a local centre (Use Classes E and F2), public house (Use Class Sui Generis) and primary school (Use Class F1), compensatory improvements to the Green Belt, associated infrastructure and landscaping . Summary of Recommendation: That the appeal be allowed

Authority
Durham County Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Inquiry
Development
residential · Major dwellings
Inspector
Hockenhull H

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Masterplanning, provision and timing on infrastructure (Appeals A, B and D)
  • Sustainable transport (Appeals A, B and D)
  • Education (Appeals A, B and D)
  • District heating (Appeals A, B and D)
  • Affordable housing (Appeal D)
  • Viability and other housing issues
  • Heritage (Appeals B, C and D)
  • Ecology
  • Poor design, overdevelopment and car parking (Appeal D)
  • Highway safety
  • Other issues (Appeals A, B and D)

What decided it

The proposals were found to accord with the development plan as a whole (particularly CDP Policy 5 governing the Sniperley Park allocation) with no material considerations indicating a decision otherwise, and the significant benefits of housing and affordable housing delivery decisively outweighed the limited landscape harm identified.

For each of Appeals A, B and D, significant weight benefits (housing, affordable housing, economic benefits) and moderate weight benefits (environmental benefits, off-site highway improvements) and limited weight benefits (space/accessibility standards, school provision, sustainable travel) outweighed the limited weight harm from a low level of landscape harm; for Appeal C, the significant weight heritage benefit and limited weight benefits outweighed no identified harms.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy 4Policy 5Policy 15Policy 19Policy 21Policy 22Policy 24Policy 25Policy 26Policy 27Policy 29Policy 35Policy 36Policy 39Policy 40Policy 41Policy 44Policy 45Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan Policy 2Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan Policy 3Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan Policy 6Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan Policy 7Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan Policy 11
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 56Paragraph 57Paragraph 147

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

See how each was applied

The decision letter

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More decisions in Durham County Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2024

  1. Dismissed22 October 20266007418
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  2. Allowed10 September 20266006352
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  3. Dismissed11 August 20266006359
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  4. Allowed24 July 20263375422
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  5. Allowed24 July 20266003014
    Land to the South of Wagtail Lane, Craghead, DH7 0DT

The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.