Land To Rear of 28 Shaftesbury Street, Fordingbridge, SP6 1JF

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the Fordingbridge Conservation Area
• The effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the occupiers of No.28 Shaftesbury Street, with particular regard to privacy
• Whether the proposal would provide adequate mitigation for the European Protected Sites

What decided it

The less than substantial harm to the significance of the Fordingbridge Conservation Area as a designated heritage asset, combined with material harm to the living conditions of neighbouring occupiers through overlooking, outweighs the modest housing supply benefits in the context of heritage asset protection policies in the Framework.

The modest housing supply benefits and economic benefits of construction were afforded moderate weight, but the significant harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area and neighbouring living conditions, combined with the Framework's protection of designated heritage assets, meant the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits, and the presumption in favour of sustainable development was not engaged.