Old Telephone Exchange, Bradwell Road, Loughton, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK5 8DN

conversion and extension of redundant telephone exchange to create a one-bedroom dwellinghouse

Authority: Milton Keynes Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Townend K

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to trees
the effect of the development on highway safety, with particular regard to parking
the effect of the development on biodiversity, in particular bats and the provision of biodiversity net gain

What decided it

The substantial loss of trees and greenery from the street scene, combined with unresolved highway safety concerns regarding parking and insufficient ecological information regarding protected species, collectively outweighed the limited benefits of providing one dwelling on a brownfield site.

Framework references: 125

Plan policies cited: Policy D1, Policy D2, Policy CT2, Policy CT10, Policy NE2

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.