®Planning appeal decision
Fairfield House, Ashford Hill Road, Goose Hill, Hampshire, RG19 8AU
Erection of a lifetime dwelling on garden land
- Authority
- Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Cuthbert L
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposed development would provide a suitable location for housing, having regard to the development strategy for the area, opportunities for sustainable transport accessibility to services and facilities, and the transition to a low carbon future
- whether the proposal would comply with local and national planning policy which seeks to steer new development away from areas at the highest risk of flooding
- the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The unacceptable risk from surface water flooding, combined with the site's isolated location remote from services, public transport and sustainable transport opportunities, meant the presumption in favour of sustainable development under paragraph 11(d) of the Framework was not engaged, and the identified harms outweighed the housing supply benefits.
Although the proposal would contribute to housing land supply and provide a lifetime dwelling on previously developed land, the unacceptable flood risk and unsuitability of location for housing meant the presumption in favour of sustainable development was not engaged under paragraph 11(d) of the Framework, and the material considerations did not outweigh the conflict with the development plan.
Framework references: 11, 175
Plan policies cited: Policy SS6, Policy CN9, Policy SD1, Policy SS1, Policy EM7, Policy EM1, Policy EM10, Policy HD1 of the Ashford Hill with Headley Neighbourhood Plan 2022-2029, Policy L1 of the Ashford Hill with Headley Neighbourhood Plan 2022-2029, Policy NE1 of the Ashford Hill with Headley Neighbourhood Plan 2022-2029
Judgments cited: Dartford Borough Council v The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government & Ors [2017] EWCA Civ 141; Braintree District Council v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and others [2018] EWCA Civ 610; City & Country Bramshill Ltd v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government & Ors [2021] EWCA Civ 32
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.