TKP Enables Eventual Charfield Housing Approval

Tetlow King Planning (TKP) has assisted Waddeton Park Ltd in eventually obtaining planning permission for 31 dwellings, including 35% as affordable housing, and a 60 bed specialist dementia care home on a greenfield site on the edge of Charfield, South Gloucestershire.

TKP were originally instructed to prepare supporting evidence on affordable housing and care needs to the initial planning application, submitted in September 2013.  Following refusal of the planning application in February 2014, Robin Tetlow, Chairman, appeared at the appeal hearing, held in November 2014.

The Inspector allowed the appeal. However, the Council mounted a legal challenge to the decision; which ultimately Waddeton Park Ltd were forced to concede because the Inspector had not properly considered in his decision letter another appeal decision submitted by the Council to the hearing.

In the meantime Waddeton Park Ltd sought determination of a pending duplicate application, supported by both updated and new evidence, including a recent decision by another Inspector on another proposal in the same village.  This decision determined an overall shortfall in the five year housing land supply across South Gloucestershire and the sustainability of Charfield as a location for significant housing development.

The Council eventually approved the second application in September 2015, thus avoiding the necessity for the appeal on the first application to be reheard. In the planning officers’ report to Committee the provision of much needed affordable housing and the specialist dementia care home were cited as key planning benefits helping to tip the overall planning balance towards approval.

PBA provided general planning input and Robert Walton of Landmark Chambers acted as Counsel.