®Planning appeal decision
Land West of Limmerhill Road, Wokingham, RG41 4BY
‘Outline Planning Application for up to 60 no. dwellings (use class C3) with associated public open space, landscaping, ecological enhancements, drainage and other supporting infrastructure, with access from Barkham Road (all other matters reserved )’.1
- Authority
- Wokingham Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Rose D
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area including landscape and visual effects.
- The effect of the proposal on the existing pattern of settlement; and the separate identities of Barkham and Wokingham.
- Whether the characteristics of the site and the parameters of development would result in a well-designed place.
- Whether the location is, or can be made, sustainable through limiting the need to travel and offering a genuine choice of travel modes.
- Other material considerations.
- As the policies which are most important for determining the application are agreed to be out-of-date, would the adverse effects of granting planning permission significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the development when assessed against the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework taken as a whole, having particular regard to key policies for directing development to sustainable locations, making effective use of land, securing well-designed places and providing affordable homes, individually or in combination.
What decided it
The failure of the outline parameters to achieve a well-designed place, causing harm of very significant magnitude, combined with the other identified harms, meant the adverse effects significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits.
The very significant weight given to market and affordable housing and moderate weight to other benefits were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the harm to character and appearance, harm to the settlement pattern, and the very significant harm from the failure to achieve a well-designed place, leading to dismissal.
Framework references: 187, 232, 234, 139
Plan policies cited: Policy CP17, Local Plan Policy CC02, Core Strategy Policy CP9, Core Strategy Policy CP11, Local Plan Policy CC01, Core Strategy Policy CP1 (1), Core Strategy Policy CP3 (a) and (f), Core Strategy Policy CP1 (11), Core Strategy Policy CP2, Core Strategy Policy CP6 (a, b and c), Policy CP5, Local Plan Policy TB08, Local Plan Policy TB12, Policy NRM6 of the South East Plan, Policies CP8 and CP4 of the Core Strategy, Core Strategy Policy CP1 (7)
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.