Land at the Corner of Comet Way , Christchurch , Dorset , BH23 4JW

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
• The effect of the proposal on the risk of crime
• The effect of the proposal on protected trees
• The quality of the proposed development for its occupiers
• Whether the development would be likely to have a significant effect on the integrity of the Dorset Heathlands Special Protection Area, Dorset Heaths Special Area of Conservation, and Dorset Heathlands Ramsar sites
• Whether the development would be likely to have a significant effect on the integrity of the River Avon Special Area of Conservation, with particular regard to nutrient neutrality

What decided it

The substantial harm to the character and appearance of the area caused by the encroachment of built development into a designed open space feature of the housing estate, combined with the failure to design out crime through the creation of an unsafe enclosed alleyway, outweighed the limited benefits of providing a single additional dwelling in a context of acute housing land supply.

The limited benefits of providing one additional dwelling in the context of acute housing land supply (2.7 years) were substantially and demonstrably outweighed by the substantial harm to character and appearance and the failure to create a safe environment for pedestrians, resulting in conflict with the development plan that was not outweighed by other considerations including the Framework.