®Planning appeal decision
Land South of Hockliffe Road, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 9NX
Planning appeal 3360168 at Land South of Hockliffe Road, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 9NX (Central Bedfordshire) was allowed on 25 June 2025 by Inspector Chamberlain G, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would result in the loss of a valued community facility.
Residential redevelopment to provide 41 dwellings with associated access, parking and landscaping
- Authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Chamberlain G
- Postcode
- LU7 9NX
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would result in the loss of a valued community facility
- Whether the proposal would provide adequate permeability and landscaping, achieve a biodiversity net gain and suitably design out crime
- Whether the proposal would amount to a loss of an employment generating use
What decided it
The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply engaged the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11, and the benefits of housing delivery and affordable housing provision significantly and demonstrably outweighed the harm from loss of community infrastructure.
The significant harm from loss of community infrastructure, moderated by the availability of town centre facilities and the loss of 12-40 jobs, was outweighed by the substantial benefits of delivering housing at a time of housing land supply shortfall, providing affordable housing in an area of need, development on previously developed land in a sustainable location, and achieving biodiversity net gain.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy R2Policy HQ3Policy HQ2Policy EMP2Policy M1Policy M2Policy T2Policy EE1Policy EE2Policy EE3Policy EE13Policy H4Policy H6Policy T5
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 98Paragraph 109
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.