Land at Century House, Wolverton Road, Wolverton Common, RG26 5RY

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
• whether the site would be a suitable location for new housing, with particular regard to the Council's spatial strategy and the extent to which the site has access to services and facilities by sustainable and active modes of transport
• whether the proposal would provide a suitable housing mix and if it would contribute to providing mixed communities
• whether the proposal would make adequate provision for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

What decided it

The substantial harm to character and appearance and the unsuitability of the location for residential development, when weighed against the benefits of housing delivery under the tilted balance, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits of the scheme.

The benefits of three dwellings contributing to housing supply (significant weight) and moderate economic benefits were outweighed by substantial harm to character and appearance and substantial harm arising from the site's location outside the settlement boundary with poor accessibility to services and sustainable transport, resulting in the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighing the benefits when assessed against the Framework policies taken as a whole.