®Planning appeal decision
Hester's Yard, 116 Oak Hill, Wood Street Village Guildford, GU3 3ES
the erection of 50 residential dwellings and parish office and hall, including vehicular and pedestrian access, landscaping, car parking, play area, and community open space with youth and adult play
- Authority
- Guildford Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Gilbert-Wooldridge T
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
- whether the Council can demonstrate a 5 year housing land supply
- whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other 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 and significant benefits of the proposal did not clearly outweigh the substantial harm to the openness and purposes of the Green Belt, so very special circumstances were not established.
the substantial and significant benefits, including housing and affordable housing provision, parish council building, PDL reuse and ecological gains, did not clearly outweigh the substantial harm to Green Belt openness and moderate conflict with Green Belt purposes, so very special circumstances did not exist
Framework references: 142, 143, 154, 77, 72, 123, 124, 150, 152, 153, 11, 60
Plan policies cited: Policy P2
Judgments cited: Vistry Homes v SSLUHC [2024] EWHC 2088 (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.