| Conditions or Reasons: | | 1)
The site is within the Green Belt and the development comprises inappropriate development within the Green Belt. Very special circumstances therefore need to be demonstrated to clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt and any other harm. The proposal would fail to preserve the openness of the Green Belt and encroach into the Open Countryside. The commencement and completion of the development in advance of obtaining any planning permission constitutes intentional unauthorised development which adds weight against the proposal. Notwithstanding the factors including a lack of alternative available sites, unmet need and limited personal family and children circumstances put forward, these do not clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt, and other harms in respect of the flood risk, and adverse affect to the integrity of the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC), so as to constitute very special circumstances to justify the grant of full planning permission. The proposal is therefore contrary to Section 13 (Protecting Green Belt land) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), December 2023, Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS), December 2023, and Policy SP4 (Development in the Green Belt) of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015 - 2035, July 2021. |
| 2)
The proposed development is not in a Settlement Envelope, but is in open countryside and not in a location well connected to and accessible to nearby services and facilities by sustainable modes of transport. The proposal is therefore contrary to Section 9 (Promoting sustainable transport) of the National Planning Policy Framework,(NPPF), December 2023, and Policies SP7 (Windfall Development) and HQ1 (High Quality Development) of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035, July 2021. |
| 3)
The proposed development would, by reason of its proximity lying within a 12.6km distance of the Ashridge Commons and Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC), add to the recreational disturbance in this area, and be likely to harm the integrity of the conservation purposes of the SAC. In the absence of an appropriate strategy to mitigate this harm, the proposal would be contrary to the Habitat Regulations, Section 15 (Conserving and enhancing the natural environment) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) December 2023, and Policy EE3 (Nature Conservation) of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015 - 2035, July 2021. |
| 4)
The proposed development is unacceptable due to a lack of information / clarity on the proposed arrangements for surface water disposal and flood risk on the site. The proposal therefore presents a flood risk and is contrary to Section 14 (Meeting the challenge of climate change, flooding and coastal change) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), December 2023, and Policies H7 (Assessing Planning Applications for Gypsy and Traveller Sites), CC3 (Flood Risk Management) and CC5 (Surface Water Drainage) of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015 - 2035, July 2021. |
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