Grassed Verge of Carmel Road North, Cockerton, Darlington, DL3 8NN

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the siting and appearance of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
• the effect of the siting and appearance of the proposal on the living conditions of nearby residents, with particular regard to outlook
• if any harm would occur, whether this is outweighed by the need for the installation to be sited as proposed taking into account any suitable alternatives

What decided it

The proposal would result in substantial harm to the character and appearance of the area and the living conditions of neighbouring residents, and the appellant had not sufficiently demonstrated that there were no other alternative sites that could meet the requirements within the search area, such that the benefits would be substantially outweighed by the adverse effects when assessed against Framework policies CO1(1)(b) and DP3(1).

applying Framework policy S4, the benefits of the proposal in maintaining and improving network coverage, capacity, reliability and resilience would be substantially outweighed by the adverse effects of harm to the character and appearance of the area and the living conditions of neighbouring residents, when assessed against the national decision-making policies in the Framework, particularly policies CO1(1)(b) and DP3(1).