Trinity Methodist Church , Trinity Road , Harrogate , North Yorkshire, HG2 9AU

installation of solar panels to existing roof

Authority: North Yorkshire Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: community-institutional · Other minor developments
Inspector: Francis M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposal would preserve the Grade II listed building, known as Trinity Methodist Church, or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest that it possesses
whether the proposal would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Harrogate Conservation Area

What decided it

The unsubstantiated and limited public benefits of energy savings were insufficient to outweigh the less-than-substantial but considerable harm to the significance of the Grade II listed building and the conservation area.

the harm to the listed building and conservation area, to which considerable importance and weight must be given, outweighed the limited public benefits of energy savings and support for the building's community use, as the financial benefits were not substantiated

Framework references: 167, 212, 213, 215

Plan policies cited: Policy HP2, Policy HP3

Judgments cited: Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823 (Admin)

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.

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