®Planning appeal decision
Benhams Farm, Hollybush Lane, Reading, BERKSHIRE, RG7 3JS
Phased application for 9 custom build houses with associated triple garages including new access road from Oakley Drive and relocation of existing double garage to number 7 Oakley Drive to enable new access road
- Authority
- West Berkshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Parker C
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether or not the proposal would accord with policies which seek to minimise the potential impact on public safety and emergency services in relation to the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment (location AWE B) Burghfield, Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (DEPZ) and associated Off-Site Emergency Plan (OSEP)
- Whether or not the proposed development would represent an efficient use of land given the proposed density and the acceptability or not of the proposal on a greenfield site
- The effect of the proposal on drainage and/or flood risk within the locality
What decided it
The cumulative adverse impacts on public safety within the DEPZ, inefficient use of a greenfield site, and unresolved drainage/flood risk were found to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the scheme under the Paragraph 11 tilted balance.
The benefits of custom build housing provision and the site's sustainable location were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the adverse impacts on public safety, inefficient land use, and drainage/flood risk, so permission was refused under the Framework's Paragraph 11 balance.
Framework references: 101, 45, 70, 173, 11
Plan policies cited: Policy CS8, Policy CS4, Policy ADDP1, Policy CS1, Policy C1, Policy CS16
Judgments cited: Crest Nicholson & Ors v WBDC [2021] EWDC 289 (admin)
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.