| Conditions or Reasons: | | 1)
The proposed erection of 9 no. residential dwellings and associated garden and parking areas would represent inappropriate development in the Green Belt, which is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt. The development would also be detrimental to the openness and visual amenity of the Green Belt, and represents an encroachment into the countryside. The associated benefits of the proposal are not considered to clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt, and other harms to the character of the area. As such, Very Special Circumstances cannot be said to exist and the proposal is therefore contrary to policy SP4 of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan (2021), and Section 13 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2024). |
| 2)
The proposed development, due to excessive scale and unsatisfactory layout, siting and design, would represent the harmful development of the site in a backland location, which would fail to respect the pattern and grain of development at the rural edge of Upper Sundon and would result in the harmful urbanisation of the countryside. As such, the development, due to its scale, layout and positioning, would be harmful to the character of the area and countryside location. The proposal would therefore not be considered to be of high quality design which reinforces local distinctiveness, nor would it be sensitive to rural characteristics of the site and surrounding area, and would be considered to be in conflict with policies HQ1 and HQ8 of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan as well as section 12 of the NPPF (2024). |
| 3)
The applicant has failed to demonstrate that the site can be developed to adoptable highway standards as required for developments over 5 dwellings, contrary to Policy T2 of the CBLP (2021), Section 9 of the NPPF (2024), Parking Standards for New Development (2023) and the Highways Construction and Specification Standards Guidebook. |
| 4)
The proposed development fails to make adequate provision for off street parking, and if permitted would lead to an increase in on street parking, thereby resulting in unacceptable traffic congestion and additional hazards to users of the highway, contrary to Policy T3 of the CBLP (2021), Section 9 of the NPPF (2024) and the Parking Standards for New Developments SPD (2023). |
| 5)
Insufficient information has been provided to demonstrate driver/driver intervisibility from the proposed access onto Common Lane and driver/pedestrian intervisibility between the proposed access and the adjacent public footpath connecting Common Lane and Icknield Way to the West of the application site, contrary to Policy T2 and EE12 of the CBLP (2021) and Section 9 of the NPPF (2024). |
| 6)
Insufficient information has been submitted to evidence the proposal could 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. |
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