®Planning appeal decision
Land East of the A10, Buntingford , Hertfordshire , SG9 9SQ
Planning appeal 3340497 at Land East of the A10, Buntingford , Hertfordshire , SG9 9SQ (East Hertfordshire District Council) was allowed on 22 August 2024 by Inspector Ford K, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would be a suitable location for residential development having regard to the spatial strategy of the development plan.
development of 350 dwellings, with up to 4,400 sq m of commercial and services floorspace (Use Class E and B8) and up to 500 sq m of retail floorspace (Use Class E) and other associated works including drainage, access into the site from the A10 and Luynes Rise (but not access within the site), allotments, public open space and landscaping
- Authority
- East Hertfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Ford K
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would be a suitable location for residential development having regard to the spatial strategy of the development plan.
- Accessibility of the development to services and facilities.
- The effect on the character and appearance of the area with specific reference to landscape character and density.
- Whether the Council can demonstrate a deliverable housing land supply as required by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
What decided it
The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, which engaged the NPPF paragraph 11(d) tilted balance in favour of granting permission.
The significant benefits of market housing and economic/retail provision and the substantial benefit of affordable housing outweighed the moderate harms to spatial strategy, accessibility and landscape character and the limited harm from loss of agricultural land, so the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits under NPPF paragraph 11(d).
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- DPS2DSP2GBR2GRB2BUNT1HD1TRA1DES1DES2DES3DES4HD2HD4BE2HOU1DEL2HOU3CFLR1CFLR7CFLR9NE2WAT4
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 180Paragraph 57
- Judgments
- Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government v West Berkshire District Council [2016] 1 W.L.R. 3923; Gallagher Homes Ltd v Solihull MBC [2014] EWCA Civ 1610
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in East Hertfordshire District Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2024
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.