Pins Ref 2158369 Lower Woodspeen Court, Lambourn Road, Newbury

Pins Ref Lower Woodspeen Court, Provision of an overspill Dele. Refusal Allowed 2158369 Lambourn Road, car parking area. 30.11.2011 Newbury, Berkshire The Inspector considered that the main issues are the effect of the proposal on the rural character and appearance of the area and whether there is a need for additional parking to support local employment. Effect on character and appearance Lower Woodspeen Court is a group of former farm buildings, which have been converted to business units, served by a lane leading off Lambourn Road. The appeal site is part of an open field, on the opposite side of the lane, to the south of a detached house standing in extensive grounds. Land further to the south is generally open in character. The development plan includes the West Berkshire District Local Plan 1991 - 2006 (LP). Policy ENV18 seeks to restrict development outside of settlements and allocated sites, except in specific circumstances which do not apply to this appeal. This policy is consistent with Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable development in rural areas (PPS7) which seeks to protect the character and quality of the wider landscape. The appellant suggests that Policy ENV18 does not apply because no buildings are proposed. The Inspector did not share that view. It seemed to him that the construction of a car park is development for the purposes of the policy. The proposal is therefore in conflict with LP Policy ENV18. The car park would amount to an urban feature encroaching into an area of hitherto undeveloped countryside. To this extent it would be harmful to the rural character and appearance of the area, contrary to LP Policy ENV1 which seeks to conserve and enhance the special features of the different landscape character areas found within West Berkshire. That said, the car park would be small in scale. The detailed design would include sympathetic boundary treatment and surfacing. The plans include illustrative landscaping proposals which would provide some screening and would help to integrate the car park into its surroundings. Further details could be secured by a condition. He considered that the proposal would accord with the design objectives of LP Policy OVS2. The site is not prominent in the wider landscape due to the presence of trees and field boundaries. Moreover, the car park would not be readily visible from the nearby Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Having regard to all these factors, the Inspector considered that the degree of harm to the character and appearance of the area would be minor. The need for additional parking The appellant submitted a survey of existing tenants of the business units. The comments received explain their requirements for additional parking and describe the difficulties which can occur at busy times. The site was previously served by a bus stop but this is no longer in use. The Council does not dispute that the site is not accessible by public transport. The Inspector saw no reason to doubt the evidence from the tenants that Lambourn Road is unsuited to use by cyclists and pedestrians. In the absence of additional parking being provided, there is a real risk that the growth of the businesses located here will be constrained. This would be harmful to the objective of promoting local employment. He accepted that the proposal would result in a level of parking provision which would be in excess of the Council’s maximum parking standards. However, the lack of alternatives to the private car is an important consideration in this case and the conflict with the parking standards which are generally applicable should not be an overriding factor. The Inspector carefully considered the Council’s suggestion that additional parking could be provided within the curtilage of Lower Woodspeen Court. That is an important point because providing parking within the curtilage would avoid the use of greenfield land. Nevertheless, from what he saw on site it seems unlikely that sufficient spaces could be provided here without causing unacceptable harm to the design and layout of the development. On the second issue, he concluded that additional parking is required in the interests of supporting local employment. Conclusion In balancing the need for additional parking against the harm to the character and appearance of the area, the Inspector had regard to the Ministerial Statement on Planning for Growth . This emphasises the need to consider fully the importance of national planning policies aimed at fostering economic growth and employment when deciding whether to grant planning permission. In this case he concluded that there would be some harm to the rural character and appearance of the area. However, that harm would be minor. On the other hand, there is a need for additional parking in the interests of supporting local employment. He considered that this need outweighs the minor harm that would arise. Other matters A local resident has expressed concern regarding traffic generation. The proposal would not result in any additional employment floorspace and is unlikely to generate a significant increase in vehicle trips to the site. The reason for refusal includes reference to LP Policy OVS1. This deals with settlement hierarchy and is of limited relevance to the appeal. Conditions The Council has suggested conditions which he considered in the light of Circular 11/95 The use of conditions in planning permissions. He referred above to the need for a condition relating to landscaping. The proposed parking should be limited to use by the occupiers of and visitors to Lower Woodspeen Court because the permission has been given to meet the specific needs of those premises, in the interests of local employment. A condition requiring development to be in accordance with the approved plans should be imposed to reflect the advice in Greater Flexibility for Planning Permissions . The appeal was upheld subject to the following conditions: 1) The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than three years from the date of this decision. 2) The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: 1768-100; 1768-03; F15606C 500 C1. 3) The parking and turning spaces hereby permitted shall be used only for the parking and turning of the vehicles of the occupiers of and visitors to Lower Woodspeen Court and shall not be used for any other purpose. 4) No development shall take place until details of landscape works have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. These details shall include schedules of plants noting species, plant sizes and proposed numbers/densities and details of written specifications including cultivation and other operations involving tree, shrub and grass establishment. The landscape works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details within the first planting season following the completion of the development. Any trees or plants that die, become seriously damaged or diseased within five years of planting shall be replaced in the next planting season by plants of similar size and species. DC .

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