®Planning appeal decision
Former Sunday School, Townley Street, Macclesfield, SK11 6HZ
demolition of former Sunday school buildings and the construction of eight, 3-bedroom town houses
- Authority
- Cheshire East
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Veevers A
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed development would preserve the settings of nearby listed buildings, or any features of special architectural or historic interest which they possess; and whether the proposed development would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Park Green Conservation Area
- Whether the proposed development would provide acceptable living conditions for future occupants, with particular regard to daylight, sunlight, outlook and outdoor amenity space
- The effect of the proposed development on flood risk
- The effect of the proposed development on protected species, namely bats; and on nesting birds
What decided it
The harm to the settings of nearby listed buildings and the character and appearance of the conservation area, combined with inadequate living conditions for future occupants and failure to satisfy the sequential flood risk test, outweighed the moderate benefits of housing delivery.
The moderate weight afforded to the public benefits of housing delivery and economic/social benefits was insufficient to outweigh the considerable importance and weight attached to the harm to designated heritage assets and the failure to provide acceptable living conditions; the proposal did not benefit from the presumption in favour of sustainable development due to strong reasons for refusal based on heritage protection policies
Framework references: 11, 175, 181, 207, 208, 212, 213, 215, 216
Plan policies cited: Policy SE1, Policy SE3, Policy SE7, Policy SE13, Policy HER3, Policy HER4, Policy HOU12, Policy HOU13, Policy ENV2, Policy ENV16
Judgments cited: Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823; Wheatcroft (Bernard) Ltd v Secretary of State for the Environment [1982] JPL 37
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.