Land West of Limmerhill Road, Wokingham, RG41 4BY

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• As the policies which are most important for determining the application are agreed to be out-of-date, would the adverse effects of granting planning permission significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the development when assessed against the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.