®Planning appeal decision
209-211 West Wycombe Road, High Wycombe , Buckinghamshire , HP12 3AW
Planning appeal 3349847 at 209-211 West Wycombe Road, High Wycombe , Buckinghamshire , HP12 3AW (Buckinghamshire Council - Wycombe Area *) was dismissed on 27 May 2025 by Inspector Shearing C, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would be suitably located, having regard to flood risk.
Construction of 3 dwellings to the rear of the site with associated parking, landscaping and amenity space, and cycle and refuse storage, alongside amendments to the existing parking and landscaping for the apartment building to the front of the site
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Shearing C
- Postcode
- HP12 3AW
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would be suitably located, having regard to flood risk
- Effects on biodiversity, with particular regard to the habitats adjacent to the River Wye and whether the proposal would achieve appropriate biodiversity net gain
- The effects of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The proposal's failure to satisfy the sequential flood risk test, combined with unresolved surface water flooding risks and inadequate biodiversity protection measures, meant it conflicted with the development plan and Framework policies protecting areas at risk of flooding and requiring biodiversity enhancement.
The moderate benefits of three new homes, economic activity and sustainable location were outweighed by the significant and long-lasting harms arising from flood risk and biodiversity impacts, which conflicted with the development plan and Framework.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DM39 of the Wycombe District Local PlanPolicy DM15 of the Delivery and Site Allocations Plan 2013Policy DM11 of the DSAPPolicy DM13 of the DSAPPolicy DM34 of the WDLPPolicy DM34 of the DSAPPolicy DM14 of the DSAPPolicy CP10 of the WDLPPolicy CP9 of the WDLPPolicy DM35 of the WDLP
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 125
- Judgments
- Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823 (Admin); John Leslie Finney v Welsh Ministers & Carmarthernshire County Council; Energiekontor (UK) Limited; Fiske v Test Valley BC & Woodington Solar Limited
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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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Buckinghamshire Council - Wycombe Area
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
- Notice upheld12 June 20263362995165 Amersham Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 5AE
- Dismissed11 June 20263377185Land West of Hammersley Lane, Tylers Green, Bucks, HP10 8HF
- Notice varied and upheld1 June 20263356208St Regis Park, Bassetsbury Lane, High Wycombe, HP11 1RB
- Notice upheld19 May 20263366795165 Micklefield Road, High Wycombe, HP13 7HA
- Notice upheld19 May 20263364950Land at Polaris Chartered Certified Accountants (Royal British Legion), Queensmead Road, Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, HP10 9TZ
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.