34A TALBOT COTTAGE, HIGH STREET, ALCESTER, WARWICKSHIRE, B49 5AB

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, the proposed land use, and the amount of development, with particular regard to whether the site would have vehicular access to the public highway, the effect of the development on flood risk, and the effect on the character and appearance of the Alcester Conservation Area, the setting of Talbot Cottage, a Grade II Listed Building, and archaeology

What decided it

The proposal would cause less than substantial harm to the heritage assets (the listed building setting and conservation area character) which, given significant weight, was not outweighed by the limited public benefits of a single self-build dwelling, and the proposal also failed the sequential flood risk test and lacked demonstrated vehicular access.

The less than substantial harm to the setting of Talbot Cottage and the character and appearance of the Alcester Conservation Area, to which considerable importance and weight was attached, was not outweighed by the limited public benefits of one additional self-build dwelling in a location with good access to services, particularly given the Council's demonstrated five-year housing land supply and the failure of the sequential flood risk test