A rejected plan for nine houses on vacant land behind a pub is going to appeal after the Isle of Wight Council said it would lead to a ‘cramped form of development’.
The applicant’s agent CPC Planning Consultants flagged ‘social benefits’ of the homes next to Brading’s Bugle Inn including a ‘modest, but important’ contribution towards County Hall’s housing supply.
Its Appeal Statement submitted on behalf of Cordage 11 also mentioned ‘economic benefits’ such as wealth and employment generation from the houses’ construction and environmental advantages including a biodiversity improvement across the site of ‘at least 10 per cent’.
The appeal statement said:
“The proposal to deliver a not insignificant number of homes in an area the council accepts is a sustainable location for residential growth, should be afforded considerable positive weight in the planning balance.”
The council’s decision report for application 24/00560/FUL said the proposal’s housing mix was ‘not considered appropriate’, with a third of proposed properties being ‘larger four-bedroom units’.
The planners added:
“It is considered that the proposed layout for nine dwellings would result in a cramped form of development and is too dense for this site, leaving limited space for attractive and native planting around the site, being dominated by hard landscaping including fencing, parking and turning areas.
Article continues below this advertisement “High fencing or wall boundary treatments around the development, specifically near the car park area, would result in an enclosed and unattractive development, with little opportunity to add vegetation and soft landscaping for house one or house four, due to the cramped plot sizes and close proximity of the proposed dwellings to communal car parking.”
Other reasons for the refusal included a lack of information submitted on archaeology, biodiversity, flooding and drainage, concerns over the development’s impact on trees, the Public Right of Way B7, the Solent Special Protection Area and a failure to provide a financial contribution towards affordable housing.
Make use of the old Dark Horse pub across the road
that’s been sitting empty for years.