South Oxfordshire Councils’ initial decision to refuse the Chalgrove development has been overturned on appeal by the planning inspectorate.
The development is described within the planning application as the proposed erection of up to 160 dwellings, including affordable housing, landscaping, sustainable drainage systems and vehicular access. The application was denied by South Oxfordshire Council last July for reasons such as landscape impact, poor connectivity and failure to align with local spatial strategy for housing.
Appeal
An appeal was heard in January, where the planning inspectorate detailed its reasoning, directly addressing the refusal grounds that were previously upheld. Starting with the proposed sites spatial strategy, the inspectorate explained that whilst the proposal wasn’t compliant with local regulations in numerous areas, the examples of noncompliance weren’t of a high enough risk threshold to level serious harm to future residents, and this conclusion was considered in their final decision.
Other considerations such as the allocation of funds for primary school travel were said to have potential to cause some harm, however when making a decision the inspectorate explained that the benefit the development would provide, namely in the provision of a minimum of 40 per cent affordable housing, and the positive impact the proposal site would have on the Councils current HLS (housing land supply, which is available land where construction can begin immediately) , the amount was at a level of between 3.64 and 3.81 years.
Decision
In making their decision, the inspectorate found that the benefits of the proposal outweighed the harm, and therefore the appeal was granted, subject to conditions.
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