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A planning inspector has granted outline planning permission for up to 350 new homes on a site adjoining the settlement boundary of Buntingford, East Hertfordshire. The scheme includes up to 4,400 sqm of commercial and services floorspace and 500sqm of retail floorspace, and will deliver 40% of homes as affordable housing and 1% as custom and self build.
Having found that East Hertfordshire District Council could not demonstrate a five year housing land supply, the Inspector concluded that the scheme would make an important contribution in reducing the Council’s housing shortfall - including in the longer term, given the Council was some years from adopting a new development plan. She also found that the affordable housing provision would help to meet the District’s affordable housing need (being 3,784 affordable dwellings over the period 2021-2033). Other benefits of the scheme included the provision of economic and social benefits arising from the retail/employment floorspace, and improvements to local bus services which (the Inspector found) would benefit the wider community in terms of access to improved services. Applying paragraph 11(d) of the NPPF, the Inspector found that the harms identified did not demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal. Whilst the scheme conflicted to an extent with the development plan – including its spatial strategy by virtue of its location - the Inspector considered that the conflict was reduced due to the daily services and facilities available in Buntingford and the economic and retail elements of the scheme. She also noted that the scheme would provide an opportunity to strengthen the urban edge of Buntingford, with the A10 providing a buffer and defensible boundary between the urban edge and the countryside.
The appeal decision is available here.
Zack Simons and Rebecca Sage acted for the successful appellant, Countryside Partnerships Limited (part of Vistry Group), instructed by Hannah Albans of DLP Planning Ltd.
