®Planning appeal decision
Land North and East of Sniperley Farm, Durham, County Durham
Planning appeal 3333600 at Land North and East of Sniperley Farm, Durham, 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 Policy 5 of the CDP) and delivered significant housing, affordable housing and economic benefits with only limited landscape harm weighing against them.
For each appeal the benefits (housing, affordable housing, economic benefits - significant weight; environmental and off-site highway benefits - moderate weight; other compliance measures - limited weight) outweighed the limited weight low level of landscape harm, and accordance with the development plan and material considerations indicated permission should be granted.
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 45Policy 2Policy 3Policy 6Policy 7Policy 11
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 55Paragraph 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 appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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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.