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Allowed4 March 20253351894

Double Oak Farm, Wanborough Road, Swindon, SN4 0AA

Planning appeal 3351894 at Double Oak Farm, Wanborough Road, Swindon, SN4 0AA (Swindon Borough Council) was allowed on 4 March 2025 by Inspector Gilbert J, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would be in a suitable location, with particular regard to the character and appearance of the area, accessibility, the development plan and national planning policy.

change of use of the land to a Gypsy and Traveller site with two pitches, each with one mobile home and one touring caravan, a shared day room building and parking, with stables and associated paddocks for equestrian use

Authority
Swindon Borough Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
caravan-gypsy · Change of use
Inspector
Gilbert J
Postcode
SN4 0AA

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Whether the proposal would be in a suitable location, with particular regard to the character and appearance of the area, accessibility, the development plan and national planning policy
  • The effect of the proposal on highway and pedestrian safety
  • Whether the proposal would provide an appropriate waste storage and collection strategy
  • Whether any harm identified, including conflict with the development plan, would be outweighed by other considerations

What decided it

The significant weight attached to the unmet need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches, personal circumstances of the occupiers and the lack of alternative sites outweighed the limited harm to character and appearance under the NPPF paragraph 11(d)(ii) tilted balance.

Significant weight given to unmet need for Gypsy and Traveller sites, personal circumstances and lack of alternative sites outweighed the limited harm to character and appearance, so under the NPPF paragraph 11(d)(ii) tilted balance the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits and permission was granted.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy SD2Policy NC3Policy HA8Policy TR2Policy DE1
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 8Paragraph 11Paragraph 110
Judgments
Waverley Borough Council v. Anthony Martin Gray and others [2023] EWHC 2161 (KB)

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.

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The decision letter

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More decisions in Swindon

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025

  1. Allowed1 July 20266005705
    Land Adjacent to Lynt Road, Inglesham, Inglesham, SN6 7QX
  2. Allowed4 March 20266003605
    Rowenburgh, High Street, Wanborough, Swindon, SN4 0AE
  3. Dismissed9 February 20266000597
    3 Westlecot Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 4EZ
  4. Allowed9 January 20266000512
    Prospect Court, 60 Prospect Place, Swindon, SN1 3LJ
  5. Dismissed7 November 20253368149
    Land at Moorleaze Farm, Wanborough, Swindon, SN4 0SW

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.