®Planning appeal decision
Land South of Leighton Road, Stanbridge, Bedfordshire, LU7 9HW
demolition of existing building(s) and development of an Integrated Retirement Community (IRC) totalling 99 extra care housing units (Use Class C2); development of 43 affordable dwellings (30% of qualifying development); and development of a 66-bed Care Home (Use Class C2), with ancillary amenity, landscaping and green space areas, access provision, car parking and service areas and internal footpath/movement network and drainage
- Authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Owen A
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of the Green Belt
- the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area
- whether the development is suitably located with regard to its accessibility to services and facilities
- would the harms to the Green Belt, and any other harms, be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the development
What decided it
The other considerations, including housing and care need benefits, did not clearly outweigh the substantial harm to the Green Belt, so very special circumstances were not demonstrated.
the benefits of extra care and care home provision, affordable housing, economic benefits and biodiversity net gain did not clearly outweigh the substantial harm to the Green Belt and considerable harm to character and appearance, so the balance tipped against the development
Framework references: 143, 153, 11, 156, 157
Plan policies cited: SP4, EE5, HQ1, SP7, H3, H4
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.