®Planning appeal decision
Water Tower, Bar Lane, Midgley, WAKEFIELD, WF4 4JH
a change of use from a water tower to short term let accommodation, including extensions and alterations, change of use of agricultural land to form curtilage of site, creation of hardstanding areas, and construction of new access
- Authority
- Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- leisure-sport · Change of use
- Inspector
- Hughes L
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, including any effect on openness, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework (2023) and any relevant development plan policies
- whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the proposal
What decided it
The additional upper floor creates a disproportionate addition to the original water tower structure, causing substantial harm to Green Belt openness and purposes that is not clearly outweighed by the tourism and re-use benefits advanced.
Framework references: 11, 124, 135, 139, 142, 143, 152, 153, 154, 155
Plan policies cited: LP62, SP10, SP23, LP56
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.