®Planning appeal decision
Benhams Farm, Hollybush Lane, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3JS
Planning appeal 3342596 at Benhams Farm, Hollybush Lane, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3JS (West Berkshire District Council) was dismissed on 23 August 2024 by Inspector Parker C, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: 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).
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
- Postcode
- RG7 3JS
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.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy CS8Policy CS4Policy ADDP1Policy CS1Policy C1Policy CS16
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 101Paragraph 45Paragraph 70Paragraph 173Paragraph 11
- Judgments
- Crest Nicholson & Ors v WBDC [2021] EWDC 289 (admin)
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
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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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.