PLANNING INSPECTOR TURNS DOWN HOUSING APPLICATION APPEAL ON GREEN BELT AT RAGWOOD STABLES!

I am very pleased the Planning Inspector has dismissed the appeal from developers to build 58 homes on Green Belt on the Ragwood Stables Fields on Daws Heath Road.

The inspector determined that the harm caused by the development would not outweigh the harm to the Green Belt.

I am also very pleased that the inspector agreed with the points I made in my submission that all the cases the developers used to support their argument were different enough to not be relevant to the specific circumstances of this case. I am not a planning barrister and have no legal qualifications but that was apparent to anyone who read through their supporting documents!

This was an attempt at a landgrab from developers to take advantage of the fact the Council don’t have a local plan in place and I am pleased it was seen as such.

Thank you to all the hundreds of residents who wrote in objecting to this planning application and well done to the residents and councillors who came and spoke at its defence in the hearing.

The developers will keep coming however and it is important that the Council have the confidence to use the lower housing needs assessment they completed late last year to ensure they are as well armed as possible to fight off further such appeals on our treasured local Green Belt in the future.