Land to the south of Hillside, Andover Road (A343), Hollington Cross, Highclere, Hampshire, RG20 9SD

permission in principle for the residential development of 1 no. dwelling (Use Class C3)

Authority: Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Cahalane R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, the proposed land use and the amount of development

What decided it

The site's poor relationship to an existing settlement and reliance on private car use for accessing services and facilities, combined with the significant conflict with the development plan, outweighed the modest housing and economic benefits.

The adverse impacts of granting permission, principally the conflict with spatial distribution policies and unsustainable location, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the moderate benefits of housing delivery and economic support to local services.

Framework references: 11, 12, 14, 15, 225

Plan policies cited: Policy SS1, Policy SS6, Policy SD1, Policy EM1, Policy EM10

Judgments cited: Braintree District Council v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Greyread Ltd & Granville Developments Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 610; Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities & Anor [2024] EWHC 1916 (Admin)

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

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.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.