Plans for 225 new homes as well as a care home on a greenfield site in Hampshire by the developer Hallam Land Management, have been dismissed by Sajid Javid, the Communities Secretary, as a result of the environmental and social risks.
This is despite Eastleigh District Council blocking the scheme, being unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.
It was recommended by the planning inspector who held the recovered appeal, that the proposed 22-hecatre site, should be refused.
It was not just proposed residential accommodation, also included in the proposals were the provision of a public open space and woodland, as well as enhancements to the Hamble Station with new car parking facilities.
It was made evident in the decision latter, that though the council have said they are able to demonstrate a 4.86-year supply of deliverable housing land the presumption in favour of sustainable development was “engaged”.
This means that;
“Unless any adverse impacts of doing so significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, permission should be granted.”
Despite this, this particular development site was located in a gap between surrounding settlements, which ended up being crucial.
In the letter, it was emphasized that the positives of the scheme were outweighed by;
“the environmental and social damage which would arise out of the loss of the gap between the surrounding settlements, involving the physical intrusion into an area of countryside, and contributing to the coalescence of those settlements, and loss of independent identity”.
The Secretary of State has concluded that this was contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework, which acknowledged;
“the different roles and character of different areas”.
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