®Planning appeal decision
Land To The East Of Hydeaway , Fairway , Wickford , SS12 9LG
construction of 3no. 3 bedroom dwellings, including waste and cycle storage. Inclusive of parking”
- Authority
- Basildon District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Fern L
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether or not the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies, and the effect of the proposed development on the openness of the Green Belt
- The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the surrounding area
- Whether or not any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal
What decided it
The proposal fails to meet the sustainability criterion under NPPF Paragraph 155 because future residents would be overdependent on private cars due to the significant distance to bus services and lack of safe walking/cycling infrastructure, combined with the harm to Green Belt openness and character and appearance that is not outweighed by the moderate housing benefits.
The substantial negative weight given to inappropriate Green Belt development and harm to openness, and significant negative weight given to harm to character and appearance, were not clearly outweighed by the moderate positive weight attributed to housing supply benefits, so very special circumstances do not exist.
Framework references: 11, 153, 154, 155
Plan policies cited: Policy BAS BE12
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.