PLANS to build nine dwellings on Green Belt land at Stretton have been thrown out by Warrington planners due to lack of special circumstances and insufficient information whether Great Crested Newts would be harmed.
The proposed development involved the erection of nine dwellings on land adjacent to North View, Stretton Road, Warrington.
Developers said the application site was located within the Draft Local Plan 2019 as part of a proposed Garden Suburb. As such, the site and surrounding area should be regarded as a sustainable location for development.
They said an endorsement of the site and the wider area’s credentials as a sustainable location for housing was evidenced by the fact that part of the proposed Garden Suburb to the north of the site was already being developed by Barratt Homes under a planning consent granted for 180 homes on land to the north of St Matthew’s Primary School.
Whilst the site was currently within the Green Belt, they said it should be noted that the development was of a scale that could be considered as limited infilling and, as such, could be supported in advance of the proposed removal of the site and surrounding land from the Green Belt.
But under delegated powers Warrington Borough Council has refused the development because the site is within the Green Belt, where there is a strong presumption against inappropriate development unless it can be demonstrated that very special circumstances exist. It is considered that the proposal represents inappropriate development as it does not fall within any of the exceptions set out in NPPF. Whilst acknowledging the submissions made on behalf of the applicant these are not considered to amount to very special circumstances sufficient to justify overriding the strong presumption against inappropriate development within the Green Belt policy. As such, the proposal was contrary to the provisions of the NPPF and Policy CS5 of Warrington Borough Councils Local Plan Core Strategy.
There was also insufficient information, with regard to Great Crested Newts, submitted with the planning application in order for the Local Planning Authority determine whether there is a likelihood that Great Crested Newts would be effected/harmed as a result of the development proposed. The Local Planning Authority is therefore unable to be appropriately consider the impacts of the proposal on the protected species and as a result, the development is contrary to Policy QE5 of Warrington Borough Councils Local Plan Core Strategy.
The proposal was also considered to represent biodiversity net loss and was therefore considered to be contrary to the provisions of the NPPF and policy QE5 of the Warrington Borough Councils Local Plan Core Strategy.
