Out-Law News 1 min. read
27 Mar 2013, 4:49 pm
The inspector said that the proposed development by Kirby Park Limited, which comprised the construction of 62 affordable homes, represented inappropriate development in the green belt under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
She said that, although the Council was unable to demonstrate a five year housing supply and had a shortage of affordable housing in the local area, the contribution the proposed development would make towards meeting those housing needs did not outweigh the green belt harm that would be caused.
The inspector said that although parts of the site would remain predominantly open, the "extent of the projection of built development" would lead to the "unrestricted sprawl of the built up area of Hoylake" and that this would result in "significant encroachment of development into the countryside".
She said that the development would result in clusters of dwellings which, along with the scale and extent, would appear "prominent and visually obtrusive" along a nearby public footpath.
The inspector said that the contribution the development would make towards addressing the Council's housing shortfall, including affordable housing, was a material consideration that weighed "heavily in favour" of the proposals.
However, she said that the scale of the development meant that it did not fall under the NPPF's exception policy which allows for "limited affordable housing for local community needs under policies set out in the Local Plan" to be developed in the Green Belt.
