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Dismissed24 December 20243347529

Land South of Leighton Road, Stanbridge, Bedfordshire, LU7 9HW

Planning appeal 3347529 at Land South of Leighton Road, Stanbridge, Bedfordshire, LU7 9HW (Central Bedfordshire) was dismissed on 24 December 2024 by Inspector Owen A, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of the Green Belt.

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
Postcode
LU7 9HW

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

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
SP4EE5HQ1SP7H3H4
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 143Paragraph 153Paragraph 11Paragraph 156Paragraph 157

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 applied

The decision letter

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The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2024

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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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.