Land West of Kidmore End Road,, Oxfordshire, RG4 8SG

up to 70 homes (including affordable housing), new vehicular access, associated parking and landscaping

Authority: South Oxfordshire District Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Inquiry
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Webb B

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The main issue is whether the site would be an appropriate location for the proposed development having regard to development plan, the effects of the development on the character and appearance of the area, and other material considerations.

What decided it

The substantial weight attached to the development's conflict with the recent Kidmore End Neighbourhood Plan, engaging the paragraph 14 protection, combined with significant landscape and character harm, meant adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits.

the adverse impacts of allowing the development, principally harm to landscape character and conflict with the Neighbourhood Plan, would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits including housing delivery, affordable housing and open space/BNG provision

Framework references: 83, 187, 135, 14, 11, 82, 110

Plan policies cited: Policy STRAT1, Policy H1, Policy LCI, Policy DES1, Policy DES2, Policy ENV1, Policy LPLV, Policy LCSS

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.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.