®Planning appeal decision
land at Duck End Lane, Wilstead , Bedford, MK45 3HP
the erection of a dwelling house
- Authority
- Bedford Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Bristow T
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the proposal on character and appearance
- Whether the appeal site is an appropriate location for the proposal
- The effect of the proposal on historic integrity
- The implications of the proposal as regards ecology and biodiversity
What decided it
The proposal would cause significant harm to character and appearance through loss of trees and conversion of natural land to built form within a local gap that serves an important function in maintaining visual and experiential separation between settlements, and this harm, combined with the site's location in the open countryside contrary to policy 7S and adverse effects on heritage setting, cannot be justified by the housing benefits in circumstances where the development plan policies remain valid and consistent with the NPPF.
The benefits of delivering one additional dwelling in an area with a housing shortfall were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the adverse impacts on character and appearance, the inappropriateness of the location in the open countryside, and the failure to preserve the setting of listed buildings, applying the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11.d)ii.
Framework references: 11, 14, 57, 78, 84, 135, 136, 187, 212, 213, 232
Plan policies cited: ADLP policy AD42, Local Plan policy 3S, Local Plan policy 4S, Local Plan policy 6, Local Plan policy 7S, Local Plan policy 28S, Local Plan policy 29, Local Plan policy 30, Local Plan policy 35S, Local Plan policy 36S, Local Plan policy 37, Local Plan policy 38, Local Plan policy 39, Local Plan policy 40, WNP policy BE2, WNP policy H1, WNP policy RC1
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.