®Planning appeal decision
Land Adjacent 71 Main Road, Stonely, St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 5EP
Planning appeal 6002702 at Land Adjacent 71 Main Road, Stonely, St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 5EP (Huntingdonshire District Council) was allowed on 2 April 2026 by Inspector Whitfield H, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, land use and the amount of development proposed, with particular regard to relevant development plan policies for development in the countryside, access to services and facilities, and the effect on the character and appearance of the area.
permission in principle for the erection of 1 to 2 dwellings
- Authority
- Huntingdonshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Whitfield H
- Postcode
- PE19 5EP
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, land use and the amount of development proposed, with particular regard to relevant development plan policies for development in the countryside, access to services and facilities, and the effect on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply triggered the tilted balance under paragraph 11(d) of the Framework, and the benefits of housing delivery and effective use of land outweighed the limited and localised harm to character and appearance and countryside location conflict.
The limited harm to character and appearance and conflict with countryside policies was outweighed by the substantial weight afforded to housing delivery in the context of a significant housing supply shortfall, the effective use of underutilised land, and the site's reasonable accessibility to services and sustainable transport options supporting rural community vitality, applying the presumption in favour of sustainable development under paragraph 11(d) of the Framework.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy LP2Policy LP9Policy LP10Policy LP11Policy LP12
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 110Paragraph 117Paragraph 135Paragraph 83
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 authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
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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.