Land Adjacent to Fellowsfield, Mill Lane, Hertfordshire, SG12 0JL

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposal would be in a suitable location for housing, having regard to the development strategy for the area and access to services and facilities
• whether the proposal would increase the likelihood of flooding elsewhere and/or increase the risk of pollution to controlled waters
• whether the proposal would make adequate provision for waste storage and collection
• whether the proposal would provide acceptable vehicular access and turning arrangements

What decided it

The unsuitable location requiring high reliance on private motor vehicles, combined with unresolved flood risk and pollution concerns and inadequate waste collection arrangements, meant the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits of providing one dwelling under the tilted balance test.

The benefits of providing one additional dwelling, improving the site's appearance, and delivering biodiversity net gain were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the adverse impacts of the unsuitable location, flooding and pollution risks, and inadequate waste storage and collection provision, when assessed against the Framework policies taken as a whole.