®Planning appeal decision
Land to the west of Bridgemont, Whaley Bridge, SK23 7GW
outline planning application for affordable housing with access considered and all other matters reserved
- Authority
- High Peak Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Burnham T
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and any relevant development plan policies
- the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt
- the effect of the proposal on the appearance of the area with particular regard to its landscape and visual effects
- if the development were considered inappropriate development whether any harm would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal
What decided it
The substantial Green Belt harm (inappropriateness, loss of openness and conflict with Green Belt purposes) combined with significant landscape and visual harm was not clearly outweighed by the other considerations, including the affordable housing benefit.
The substantial harm to the Green Belt and significant adverse landscape/visual harm were not clearly outweighed by the substantial weight given to the provision of 42 affordable homes and moderate weight given to biodiversity net gain and social/economic benefits, so very special circumstances did not exist.
Framework references: 154, 57
Plan policies cited: Policy EQ 4, Policy EQ 6, Policy S 1, Policy S 6, Policy EQ 2, Policy EQ 3, Policy H 5
Judgments cited: Euro Garages Ltd vs. SoC for CLG and Cheshire West and Chester Council [2018] EWHC 1753 (Admin); Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster) & Ors, R (on the application of) v North Yorkshire County Council [2020]
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.