Land Between 35-43, Castle Hill, Prestbury, SK10 4AS

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the proposal upon highway safety
• the effect of the proposal upon flood risk
• the effect of the proposal upon the ecology and biodiversity of the site and its surroundings

What decided it

The unresolved highway safety issue arising from third-party land ownership preventing the securing of visibility splays, combined with inadequate flood risk assessment and incomplete ecological surveys for protected species, meant the proposal could not be approved even under the tilted balance triggered by the Council's lack of 5-year housing land supply.

Although the Council could not demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply and the tilted balance would normally apply, the Framework policies protecting areas at risk of flooding provided a strong reason for refusal, displacing the presumption in favour of sustainable development; the modest benefits of a single dwelling (limited housing contribution, limited economic and social benefits, limited environmental benefits from renewable energy) were significantly outweighed by the significant harms to highway safety, flood risk and biodiversity.