Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has granted planning permission on appeal for two separate development proposals for a total of 289 homes at Tetbury, Gloucestershire, as the decision letter for the larger scheme acknowledged that it would cause harm to the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and was in conflict with the council’s development plan, but that the council’s shortfall in housing supply was a material consideration which outweighed the harm.
Both schemes had been refused by Cotswold District Council and in each case the inspector who held the recovered appeal hearings recommended approval. The same inspector heard both inquiries.
The larger of the two schemes was by developer Fay & Son for a maximum of 250 homes at Highfield Farm near the town. The second application was from Hannick Homes for a project of 39 homes on land between Berrells Road and Bath Road, Tetbury. Affordable homes will make up 50 and 40 per cent of the proposed housing respectively.
The minister said the council had a ‘very serious shortfall’ in its five-year housing land supply required under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The letter added: ‘there are material considerations that weigh in favour of the proposal, in particular the ability to contribute to meeting the severe shortfall in both market and affordable housing provision on a site that is well located to Tetbury and which could provide improvements to the setting of the town and benefits for the local and national economy’.
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