Land off Apple Tree Walk, Ombersley, Worcester, Worcestershire , WR9 0HQ

construction of 9 dwellings consisting of a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms (including 1no ‘first home’), including new vehicular access, turning and parking, and green infrastructure

Authority: Wychavon District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Stephens K

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, with regard to the location of the site within the Ombersley Conservation Area and the effect on the setting of nearby Grade II listed buildings, namely Raymond House, Shrubbery House and Styles Farmhouse

What decided it

The less than substantial harm to the significance of the Ombersley Conservation Area as a designated heritage asset, which carries considerable weight and is not outweighed by the housing benefits of the proposal, even under the tilted balance.

The benefits of housing delivery and meeting the Council's housing deficit were outweighed by the considerable importance and great weight attached to the less than substantial harm to the Ombersley Conservation Area, a designated heritage asset, and the poor design of the proposal.

Framework references: 11, 212, 213, 214, 215

Plan policies cited: Policy SWDP6, Policy SWDP21, Policy SWDP24, Policy SWDP15, Policy TOAD9, Policy TOAD10

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.