Park View Upper School and Sixth Form, Church Chare, Chester Le Street, Durham, DH3 3QA

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposed development on the living conditions of the occupiers of nearby residential properties with particular regard to noise, disturbance, light pollution, and traffic movements/parking
• The effect of the proposed development on the safe operation of the highway in the vicinity of the appeal site
• The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the local area bearing in mind the special attention that should be paid to the desirability of preserving the setting of the nearby Grade I listed building, Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert

What decided it

The inability of the proposed parking management strategy to effectively mitigate the significant harm to living conditions of nearby residents from indiscriminate and opportunistic parking in residential streets, which would conflict with development plan policies and could not be outweighed by the public benefits of the scheme.

The significant and lasting harm to living conditions from indiscriminate and opportunistic parking outweighed the benefits of enhanced sports facilities, modest economic benefits, and biodiversity improvements, resulting in a conflict with the development plan that could not be overcome by material considerations.