®Planning appeal decision
Land adjacent to 21 High Street, Walkern, STEVENAGE, SG2 7PA
Erection of two detached self-build dwellings with parking and creation of a new vehicular access way
- Authority
- East Hertfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Wallace J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area including whether it would i) preserve the settings of the nearby listed buildings and ii) preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Walkern Conservation Area
- the effect of the proposal on highway safety
- the effect of the proposal on protected species
- whether the proposal would make appropriate provision for biodiversity net gain
What decided it
The heritage harm to the Conservation Area and the listed Church setting, which carried considerable weight and was not outweighed by the limited public benefits of two additional dwellings, combined with the unresolvable highway safety concerns regarding visibility splays and the failure to meet biodiversity net gain requirements.
The benefits of housing delivery and associated economic benefits were outweighed by the less than substantial harm to the significance of the Conservation Area and the listed Church, which carried considerable importance and weight under NPPF paragraphs 212-215, and by the unacceptable highway safety effects and failure to meet biodiversity net gain requirements.
Framework references: 11, 38, 99, 187, 212, 213, 215
Plan policies cited: EHDP Policy GBR2, EHDP Policy VILL1, EHDP Policy DES4, EHDP Policy HA1, EHDP Policy HA4, EHDP Policy HA7, EHDP Policy TRA2, EHDP Policy NE3, WNP Policy 3, WNP Policy 14
Judgments cited: Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823 (Admin)
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.