®Planning appeal decision
Bricket Wood Sports and Country Club, Paintball Site and Bricket Lodge, Lye Lane, St Albans, AL2 3TF
described on the application form as ‘the demolition of existing buildings, the construction of up to 115 dwellings, the creation of a new access and associated highways improvements’
- Authority
- St Albans City Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Coyne C
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposal would represent inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and any relevant Development Plan policies
- the effect of the proposed development on the landscape character of the area
- the effect of the proposed development on highway safety
- whether the proposed development would support active and sustainable modes of travel
- the effect of the proposed development on flood risk and drainage
- if the proposed development is inappropriate, 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 necessary to justify the proposal
What decided it
The very substantial and substantial Green Belt and landscape harms were not clearly outweighed by the other considerations, so very special circumstances did not exist to justify the inappropriate development.
the harm by reason of inappropriateness, the harm to openness, and the other identified harms were not clearly outweighed by the other considerations (principally housing delivery) so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the proposal, and overall the adverse impacts of granting permission significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits.
Framework references: 11, 109, 110, 115, 116, 142, 143, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 181, 187, 193, 232
Plan policies cited: Saved Policy 1 SALP, Saved Policy 2 SALP, Policy 7A SALP, Policy 8 SALP, Policy 34 SALP, Policy 35 SALP, Policy 74 SALP, Policy 84 SALP, Policy S1 SSNP, Policy S3 SSNP, Policy S9 SSNP, Policy S14 SSNP
Judgments cited: Turner v SSCLG [2016] EWCA Civ 466
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.