®Planning appeal decision
Cloud 9, Bow Green Road, Bowdon, Cheshire, WA14 3LX
Planning appeal 3367833 at Cloud 9, Bow Green Road, Bowdon, Cheshire, WA14 3LX (Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council) was dismissed on 10 March 2026 by Inspector Hobbs J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area.
the erection of a ‘Apartment-Home’ with six units and demolition of the existing house
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Hobbs J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of occupiers of 5 and 7 Bow Green Road and future occupiers of the development under construction to the south, with particular regard to privacy
- whether the proposal would provide acceptable living conditions for future occupiers of the proposed development, with particular regard to outlook
- whether the biodiversity gain condition would apply to the proposed development
- whether the information necessary to determine whether the biodiversity gain condition could be successfully discharged has been provided
What decided it
The harm to character and appearance caused by the prominent ramped basement access and the high footprint-to-plot ratio, which significantly and demonstrably outweighs the benefits of housing delivery and brownfield reuse when assessed against the Framework as a whole.
The substantial benefits of housing supply, brownfield reuse, and sustainable location were outweighed by the great weight given to the harm to character and appearance and failure to accord with local and national design guidance, resulting in the presumption in favour of sustainable development not applying.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy L2 of Development Plan Document, DPD1: Trafford Core Strategy, January 2012Policy JP-P1 of the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan Document for Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford, and Wigan, 2022 to 2039, March 2024saved CS Policy L7Policy JP-G8 of the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan DocumentAPG3 of Trafford Design CodeAPL3 of Trafford Design Code
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 135Paragraph 187Paragraph 232
- Judgments
- Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823 (Admin)
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
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
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- Allowed23 October 202660083261011 Chester Road, Stretford, Manchester, M32 8LF
- Dismissed19 October 2026601440013 Nelson Court, Moss Lane West, Manchester, M155PQ
- Dismissed14 October 202660149072 Alphonsus Street, Old Trafford, M16 7QS
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.