®Planning appeal decision
Building to South East of Mill House, Eynsham Road, Cassington, OX29 4DB
Planning appeal 6001780 at Building to South East of Mill House, Eynsham Road, Cassington, OX29 4DB (West Oxfordshire District Council) was dismissed on 17 February 2026 by Inspector O'Doherty A, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposed development, having particular regard to the spatial strategy in the development plan and the accessibility of services and facilities.
described on the application form as, “Adaptation and change of use of building to form dwelling and related works
- Authority
- West Oxfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- O'Doherty A
- Postcode
- OX29 4DB
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposed development, having particular regard to the spatial strategy in the development plan and the accessibility of services and facilities
- the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The proposed development conflicts with three key policies for directing development to sustainable locations (Policies H2, OS2 and EW10) and would cause significant harm to character and appearance, and these substantial harms are not outweighed by the minimal benefits of a single self-build dwelling in a location with poor accessibility to services and facilities by sustainable transport.
The limited collective benefits of providing one self-build dwelling and a modest contribution to housing land supply (4.3 years available) were given little weight and were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the substantial harms to the development plan's spatial strategy, the poor accessibility to services and facilities by sustainable modes of transport, and the unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the tranquil riverside area.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy H2Policy OS2Policy EW10Policy H5Policy E3Policy BC1Policy CAS9
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 12Paragraph 34Paragraph 58Paragraph 61Paragraph 73Paragraph 84Paragraph 109Paragraph 110Paragraph 115Paragraph 124Paragraph 125Paragraph 135Paragraph 155Paragraph 232
- Judgments
- Corbett v Cornwall Council [2019] EWHC 1022 (Admin); [2020] EWCA Civ 508
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.