| Conditions or Reasons: | | 1)
The proposed development would result in the significant urbanisation and irreversible transformation of a rural agricultural location, beyond the settlement envelope of Ampthill. The proposal would result in significant and demonstrable landscape and visual harm to the rural character and appearance of the area, through a large scale residential development which causes encroachment into the open countryside, causing a visible, isolated, permanent urbanisation of the rural landscape. In addition, the proposal would fail to enhance the Greensand Ridge nature improvement area (NIA), by failing to respect the topography and landscape of the NIA and minimising the visual impacts, thereby failing to protect local amenity. Therefore, the proposal conflicts with policies HQ1, EE4, EE5 and EE8 of the Local Plan. |
| 2)
The proposed development, due to its significant scale, massing and overall site area, would result in the loss of a large parcel of agricultural land which carries great significance in terms of the setting of the Grade I Listed Building and Scheduled Monument known as Houghton House. In addition, the site forms part of the wider setting of the Grade II* Listed Building, Ampthill Park House. The erosion of the setting of Houghton House, both in a physical and visual sense would result in an unacceptable impact upon the designated heritage asset, warranting less than substantial harm at the higher end of the scale. This amounts to a significant degree of harm to the setting of the designated heritage asset. The public benefits associated with the development would not outweigh the less than substantial harm, and therefore the proposed development conflicts with policies HE1 and HE3 of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan, as well as Section 16 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2024). |
| 3)
The proposal fails to provide safe and convenient access for all users, including pedestrians and cyclists. This would lead to conditions of danger and inconvenience to users of the highway and of the site. The proposal does not adequately mitigate the site's unsustainable location, separated from Ampthill, which would result in a reliance of occupiers of the site on travel by private car, thereby amounting to unsustainable development. As such, the proposed development conflicts with policies T2 and SP2 of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan, as well as conflicting with the overarching principles of the National Planning Policy Framework (2024). |
| 4)
The proposed development fails to consider the potential noise impact which would arise from the adjacent industrial compound at Lockheed Martin. The proposal includes a parameter plan which indicates that the extent of the residential properties extends up to the boundary of Lockheed Martin, within close proximity to the existing units on site. In the absence of an appropriate noise impact assessment outlining the existing levels of ambient noise and any proposed mitigation, it is considered that the proposed development cannot ensure that the future residents of the site are protected from any unacceptable levels of noise from the industrial activities . Therefore, the proposal fails to deliver high quality living accommodation, and would conflict with Policies HQ1, CC8 and EMP5 of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan and Paragraph 200 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) |
| 5)
The proposal fails to properly consider and mitigate the impact upon nesting birds on and around the site in accordance with their own submitted surveys. In addition, the applicant has failed to provide evidence to suggest that the access to the district license scheme has been sought to mitigate the impact upon great crested newts (GCN). Therefore, the proposal would result in harm to protected species on the site. As such, the proposed development conflicts with policy EE3 of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan. |
| 6)
In the absence of a completed legal agreement securing financial contributions to offset infrastructure impact, including education, healthcare, recreation, and the provision of affordable housing and self build/ custom housing, the development would have an unmitigated and unacceptable impact on existing local infrastructure. In addition, a biodiversity net gain monitoring fee has not been secured through a completed legal agreement due to the measures being proposed being significant. The development would therefore not amount to sustainable development and would be contrary to Policies H4, H6, HQ2 and EE2 of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan and the objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework (2024) |
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