Land off The Hill, Littlebourne, CT3 1UX

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area, including landscape character.
• The suitability of the submitted Travel Plan and whether the proposal would accord with the transport strategy in Policy T1 of the adopted Canterbury Local Plan 2017 (LP), including providing alternative modes of transport to the car by extending provision for pedestrians, cyclists and the use of public transport.
• The effect of the development on the Chalk Stream.
• Whether the proposal would be capable of providing adequate sewage disposal.
• The effect of the proposal on best and most versatile agricultural land, including whether it complies with policy EMP12 of the LP.
• In the context of the undisputed evidence that the local planning authority (LPA) cannot demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable housing sites, whether any adverse impacts arising from the proposal would significantly and demonstrably outweigh any identified benefits, when assessed against the policies in the Framework taken as a whole, having particular regard to key policies for directing development to sustainable locations, making effective use of land, securing well-designed places and providing affordable homes, individually or in combination, and whether the proposal would deliver sustainable development.

What decided it

The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites engaged the tilted balance, and the very significant benefits of delivering up to 300 dwellings (including affordable and older persons' housing) significantly and demonstrably outweighed the identified harms.

The very significant benefits of housing delivery, affordable housing, the link road, biodiversity net gain and other benefits were found to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the moderate/minor landscape harm, less-than-substantial heritage harm, and limited harm from loss of best and most versatile agricultural land, so the tilted balance favoured granting permission.