276 Mancroft Road and Land to the rear of 262 to 268 Mancroft Road, Aley Green, Luton, LU1 4DR

Permission in Principle (PiP) for the creation of a new access road and the erection of between 4 and 9 new dwellings following demolition of an existing detached dwelling

Authority: Central Bedfordshire Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning
Procedure: Written
Development: residential
Postcode: LU1 4DR

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the appeal site is suitable for the proposal regarding location, land use and amount of development, specifically: whether it would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt and the effect on openness; the effect on character and appearance; the effect on highway safety; and whether harm would be clearly outweighed by other considerations to amount to very special circumstances

What decided it

The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt with substantial harm to openness and character, and the absence of very special circumstances to justify it means the Green Belt protection at NPPF paragraph 11(d)(i) provides a strong reason for refusal that outweighs the housing land supply deficit.

The substantial weight afforded to Green Belt harm and loss of openness, together with harm to character and appearance, was not outweighed by the limited benefits of housing supply contribution, church parking provision, public footpath widening, and economic benefits, such that very special circumstances do not exist.

Framework references: 11, 153, 155

Plan policies cited: Policy SP4, Policy HQ1, Policy HQ8, Policy EE4, Policy EE5, Policy T2

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.

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