Land South of Stourport Road, Stourport Road, Great Witley, Worcester, WR6 6JT

the construction of up to 90 homes, formation of access from Stourport Road, construction of new internal roads, footpaths and cycle links, sustainable drainage features, areas of open space, landscaping, habitat creation and associated works and infrastructure

Authority: Malvern Hills District Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Jones M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the suitability of the site with regard to local and national policy for the supply of housing, with reference to the accessibility of services and the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land
the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The severe 2.06-year housing land supply shortfall triggered the NPPF paragraph 11(d) tilted balance, and the substantial benefits of the housing scheme were not significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the harms identified.

the adverse impacts of the conflict with the development strategy and the harm to character and appearance did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the substantial benefits of the scheme, so the presumption in favour of sustainable development applied and outweighed the conflict with the development plan as a whole

Framework references: 11, 110

Plan policies cited: Policy SWDP2, Policy SWDP2 Part C, Policy SWDP2 Part F, Policy SWDP13, Policy SWDP21, Policy SWDP25, Policy SWDP30, Policy SWDP37, Policy SWDP39, Policy GWH3

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.