®Planning appeal decision
Fourwinds Farm, Leighton Road, Stanbridge, Bedfordshire, LU7 9HW
the erection of a place of worship (Use Class F.1) for Orthodox Christians and associated parking, landscaping and biodiversity enhancement of the site
- Authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- community-institutional · Other Major Developments
- Inspector
- Lo S
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 relevant development plan policies
- the effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
- whether or not the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposed development, having regard to the availability of sustainable modes of transport
- the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
- whether or not the proposed development would deliver the mandatory biodiversity net gain
- whether or not any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal
What decided it
The appeal site is not in a sustainable location due to its rural character, distance from population centres, and the inevitable reliance of future users on private motor vehicles, which fails to meet the requirements of paragraph 155(c) of the Framework and cannot be overcome by the identified benefits.
Framework references: 11, 88, 96, 110, 115, 143, 153, 154, 155
Plan policies cited: Policy SP4, Policy SP7, Policy HQ1, Policy HQ3, Policy EE2, Policy EE5
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.