Former Tapton City Cottages, Tapton, S43 1QQ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the proposal represents a suitable location for housing, having regard to the spatial strategy of the Chesterfield Borough Local Plan (July 2020) and in particular: (i) the protection afforded to the functional aim of, and openness provided by, the Brimington and Tapton Strategic Gap; (ii) the accessibility of the site to local services and facilities; and (iii) the effect of the proposal on the landscape character of the area

What decided it

The proposal would not represent a suitable location for housing having regard to accessibility to local services and would cause harm to landscape character and the openness of the Strategic Gap, such that the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.

The limited benefits of adding one dwelling to housing supply, modest biodiversity gains and economic activity were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the adverse impacts of locating development in an unsustainable location lacking accessibility to services and causing harm to landscape character and the openness of the Strategic Gap.