4, High Street, Smethwick, B66 1DX

a first-floor extension - new flat

Authority: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Appeal type: Planning
Procedure: Written
Development: residential
Postcode: B66 1DX

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The proposal's effect on the character and appearance of the host property
The effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the occupiers of 6a & 6b High Street and 1 White Road with regard to privacy, outlook, natural light and sunlight

What decided it

The substantial weight attributed to housing delivery benefits in the context of a significant shortfall in housing land supply, combined with the 2021 permission as a strong material consideration, outweighed the minor loss of privacy harm.

The minor adverse impact to living conditions caused by loss of privacy to one ground floor window does not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of housing delivery and the presumption in favour of sustainable development when assessed against the policies of the Framework taken as a whole.

Framework references: 11, 125, 72

Plan policies cited: Policy ENV3, Policy CSP4, Policy SAD EOS 9, Policy HOU2

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.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.