Pizza Express, 40-42 Howardsgate, WELWYN GARDEN CITY, AL8 6BJ

Authority: Welwyn Hatfield Council
Appeal type: commercial · Commercial Appeal Service (CAS)
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: advertisement · Other minor developments
Inspector: Dale A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposed fairground lights on the visual amenity of the site and its surroundings

What decided it

The proposed fairground lights, by reason of their appearance, illumination, prominent location and number, would detract from the character and appearance of the host building, terrace, street scene and Conservation Area, thereby harming visual amenity in conflict with the Regulations.

Framework references: 141

Plan policies cited: SADM 6: Shopfronts, Advertisements and Signage, SADM 15 Heritage, SP 9 Place Making and High Quality Design

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.

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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.
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