4 March 2019

Tenacious Planners win the day on appeal

Planning


According to 2018 research by Heriot-Watt University, England has a backlog of 3.91 million homes, meaning 340,000 new homes need to be built each year until 2031. In order to even come close to these targets, sites previously considered ineligible for development have become more likely to be subject to planning requests.



SHW Planning were instructed to submit a Planning Appeal for eight houses in the village of Frogmore in Devon, near the market town of Kingsbridge. The planning application had been refused due to the planning committee being unconvinced of the need for the development.

 

The land is located at the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It was in a low lying area and bounded on development on two sides. Through review of Local Authority and Parish Council documentation, SHW Planning found there was a specific need for local affordable housing which the site could deliver.

 

Furthermore, through additional research, SHW Planning found there were no sites outside of the AONB which could deliver this need. This argument - combined with the limited contribution the site makes to the landscape resonated with the Planning Inspector who allowed the Appeal.

 

Alex Perraton of BBH Chartered Architects said: "It was a pleasure to work with SHW. The company showed professionalism, expert knowledge and valuable experience throughout the appeal and we are incredibly grateful for all their efforts, resulting in a favourable outcome. We would highly recommend SHW to anyone in need of Planning and Appeal assistance."

 

SHW Planner Julia Mitchell said: "It is always a fine balance between preserving the countryside and delivering development. In this case, the need for local affordable housing could not be met elsewhere. We were delighted that the Inspector recognised this. As a result, young families who were facing re-location due to unaffordable house prices will be able to stay in the village in which they settled."

 

Contact:
Julia Mitchell

jmitchell@shw.co.uk

01273 876266

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