Pontoon and Land Adjacent to Richmond Bridge Pier, Richmond Riverside, Richmond, TW9 1TH

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the development is inappropriate development within the MOL
• The effect of the matters alleged in the notice on the openness and purposes of including land in the MOL
• The effect on character and appearance with particular reference to the Richmond Riverside Conservation Area, the setting of the Grade I listed Richmond Bridge, and the River Thames corridor
• The effect on river-dependent and river-related uses
• If the development constitutes inappropriate development in the MOL, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The extent of restaurant use and associated paraphernalia on the pontoon determined whether the scheme amounted to inappropriate development in the MOL and caused unacceptable heritage/character harm; only a much-reduced configuration (Option 7 plus retained upstream storage) avoided this harm and was therefore permitted.

For the scheme as applied for and Options 1-6, the definitional and openness harm to the MOL (given substantial weight), together with heritage and character harm, outweighed the public benefits of employment, economic activity and river-user access, so very special circumstances did not exist; for Option 7 (with retained upstream storage) no such harm arose and the scheme accorded with the development plan, so permission was granted without needing to strike a balance.