®Planning appeal decision
The Royal George, 57 HIgh Street, Stagsden, Bedford, MK43 8SG
change of use and alteration of former pub building to create dwelling, construct new dwelling in former car park area
- Authority
- Bedford Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Catcheside E
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether or not the proposed change of use is justified, having regard to development plan policies for retaining local facilities
- the effect of the proposal on highway safety and bus stop facilities, with particular regard to visitor parking and site access arrangements
- whether the settings of nearby listed buildings would be preserved, and the effect of the proposal on a non-designated heritage asset (NDHA)
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The harm to highway safety and bus stop provision caused by two dropped kerbs in very close proximity to an existing bus stop, with unresolved uncertainty over bus stop relocation, outweighed the modest housing benefits in the context of the tilted balance.
The modest benefits of delivering two dwellings on previously developed land and contributing to housing supply were outweighed by the significant adverse impacts on highway safety and bus stop facilities, when assessed against the Framework taken as a whole.
Framework references: 11
Plan policies cited: Policy 83, Policy 5S, Policy 31, Policy 41S, Policies 28S, Policy 29, Policy 30
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.