Land North of George Pit Lane, Great Lumley, DH3 4ST

the erection of 148 dwellings with associated access, infrastructure and landscaping

Authority: Durham County Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Inquiry
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Baird G

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The landscape and visual impact of the proposed development and whether the proposed development would constitute sustainable development having regard to the location of the site in relation to services and public transport.

What decided it

The site's poor sustainability in terms of pedestrian and public transport access to services meant it was not well related to the settlement, causing conflict with the development plan that was not outweighed by the scheme's benefits.

The fundamental conflicts with the development plan and the harm that would result, taken as a whole, were not outweighed by the acknowledged benefits of the development, so the balance tipped against the proposal.

Framework references: 180, 60, 186, 185

Plan policies cited: Policy 6, Policy 10, Policy 21, Policy 29, Policy 39

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.