109 , Bedford Road, Willington, Bedfordshire , MK44 3PR

change of use from storage area of garden centre to car sales and storage (sui generis)

Authority: Bedford Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: retail · Change of use
Inspector: Bowden N

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposed employment use is suitable or necessary in the open countryside and whether this use would harm the character and appearance of the area
the effect of the proposed development on access and highway safety

What decided it

The proposed car sales use is unsuitable and unnecessary in this rural location, would harm character and appearance, and lacks sufficient information to demonstrate safe and adequate access.

Framework references: 89

Plan policies cited: Policy 3S, Policy 7S, Policy 75, Policy 28S, Policy 29, Policy 30, Policy 31, Policy W1, Policy W9

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What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.
- Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
- Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
- Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
- Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.
Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.
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