Acer Town Planning Unlocks Green Belt Sites for Beck Homes
Following their acquisition of a former garden centre in the High Peak Green Belt, Beck Homes instructed Acer Town Planning to undertake a planning appraisal of their new site. Part of the site already had a residential planning permission which had been allowed under the NPPF Green Belt exception for previously developed land (pdl) by High Peak Council. The Council considered that the remainder of the site did not qualify as previously developed. Planning officers judged the site a separate planning unit in a horticultural use and excluded from the NPPF pdl definition. Acer Town Planning considered whether there was any merit for further residential development and concluded that not only was there a strong case for the site as pdl but also under the NPPF infill exception as falling within the village of Charlesworth.
Planning Appeal Win
A planning application prepared by Acer Town Planning followed for 2 more homes on the disputed part of the site. The development was refused by High Peak Council for being inappropriate in the Green Belt. Confident that there was a good case, we went onto successfully argue at planning appeal for Beck Homes. The Inspector agreed that the site, which lies outside of the local plan settlement boundary, can be considered part of the village in NPPF terms due to it’s location within a cluster of existing housing close to the boundary. They also agreed that the site was indeed previously developed allowing it to be regenerated for much needed new homes.
Development Unlocked on Adjacent Land
The Inspector’s finding that the original site was infill was pivotal to unlocking other land within the same cluster of houses on the village edge. This led to another successful application submitted by Acer Town Planning for 2 more homes on adjacent land subsequently purchased by Beck Homes.
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