The planning application for the development was rejected last year due to a number of concerns raised, including: exceeding the number of houses in the Local Plan, landscaping and its impact on roads and local facilities. There were also concerns about plans to create a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS) on the Green Belt land, a natural and environmentally friendly approach to managing surface water run-off and flood risks, which was deemed “inappropriate development in the Green Belt”.
In the development plans, the SuDS is situated at the low point of the sloping site in Killamarsh, which sits between the residential allocation and the Green Belt. Following the public enquiry, Inspector Butcher agreed that the SuDS would not be inappropriate use of the Green Belt as it is not impacting its openness, both visually and spatially, and that in fact, the presence of such a drainage system in an area that’s prone to flooding would only further preserve its openness. Following this, she approved the appeal, allowing Harworth Group to now go ahead with the residential development.
Baker Consultants’ Managing Director, Andrew Baker, was Harworth’s Ecology Witness, presenting evidence on how the development would secure Biodiversity Net Gain as well as address other ecological issues.
Andrew said, “This is the first time we have worked with Harworth Group on a planning inquiry and it was a pleasure to work with their team and the other witnesses. This positive outcome is a testament to Harworth’s professional approach.”
The appeal was approved thanks to the help from a team of experts from Spawforths, Walker Morris, Rodgers Leask, Nineteen 47, Weddles and Tetra Tech.
The Baker Consultants team is highly experienced and we are passionate about what we do. If you need advice related to ecology, surveys or conservation, then please get in touch with us via our contact form on the website, or you can call us on +44 (0)1629 593958 or email us on info@bakerconsultants.co.uk.