®Planning appeal decision
Land to Rear of Former St Mary's College, Midanbury Lane, Southampton, Hampshire, SO18 4HE
Planning appeal 3347358 at Land to Rear of Former St Mary's College, Midanbury Lane, Southampton, Hampshire, SO18 4HE (Southampton City Council) was allowed on 19 February 2025 by Inspector Longmuir J, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the loss of the designated open space/ sports playing pitches in relation to the need in the area and the proposed mitigation/compensation.
Re-development of the site to create 84 dwellings (8 x one bed apartments, 24 x 2 two apartments, 27 x two bed houses, 22 x three bed houses, 3 x four bed houses) with associated car and cycle parking, landscaped areas, play space and associated works
- Authority
- Southampton City Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Longmuir J
- Postcode
- SO18 4HE
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the loss of the designated open space/ sports playing pitches in relation to the need in the area and the proposed mitigation/compensation
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the additional vehicle movements arising on the living conditions of the neighbouring residents
What decided it
The severe and undisputed shortfall in five-year housing land supply triggered the tilted balance, and the very substantial benefits of housing delivery outweighed the harm to open space policy compliance and the less than substantial heritage harm.
The benefits of housing delivery, including 35% affordable housing and other public benefits, were found to outweigh the less-than-substantial harm to the setting of the listed building and the conflict with the open space policies, such that adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits under paragraph 11(d).
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy CS21Policy CLT3Policy SDP1Policy SPD7Policy CS13Policy CS15Policy CS22Policy CS25Policy CS16
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 7Paragraph 8Paragraph 11Paragraph 57Paragraph 58Paragraph 61Paragraph 104Paragraph 135Paragraph 212Paragraph 213Paragraph 215
- Judgments
- Turner and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2015] EWHC 375 (Admin); R (Brommell) v Reading BC [2018] EWHC 3529 (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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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.