®Planning appeal decision
Garage and land adjacent to 122 St Albans Road, Sandridge, St Albans, AL4 9LL
change of use from B2 to C3; partial demolition of existing workshop; new roof and windows to workshop; new 2 bedroom chalet bungalow with associated landscaping and driveway
- Authority
- St Albans City Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Savage K
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- whether the proposal would result in the unjustified loss of a commercial use
- the effect of the proposal on biodiversity
What decided it
The significant and permanent adverse impacts on character and appearance of the area, combined with failure to demonstrate biodiversity net gain, demonstrably outweighed the benefits of housing delivery despite the Council's housing land supply shortfall.
The benefits of providing an additional dwelling and investment during construction, attracting significant weight due to the Council's housing land supply shortfall of 1.7 years, were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the very significant weight of permanent adverse impacts on character and appearance and failure to provide biodiversity net gain.
Framework references: 11
Plan policies cited: Policy 69 of the St Albans District Local Plan Review (1994), Policy 70 of the St Albans District Local Plan Review (1994), Policy 24 of the St Albans District Local Plan Review (1994), Policy D4 of the Sandridge Neighbourhood Plan (2021), Policy C1 of the Sandridge Neighbourhood Plan (2021), Policy E1 of the Sandridge Neighbourhood Plan (2021), Policy E2 of the Sandridge Neighbourhood Plan (2021)
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.