1-5 homes at Land To The East Of Hockerton Road, Upton

What was proposed

Permission in principle was sought for between one and five homes, accessed from Hockerton Road, with detailed designs reserved for a later stage.

“This application seeks permission in principle for residential development of 1 to 5 dwellings on the site.”

“The proposed dwellings would be accessed from Hockerton Road. As the proposal is for permission in principle, no elevational details or plans have been submitted at this stage – details would be considered at the Technical Details Consent stage if permission in principle is approved.”

Officer report

The site and surroundings

The site is an undeveloped 0.77-hectare field beside existing homes, a cricket pavilion and nursery, within the conservation area and open countryside.

“The application site is an undeveloped field located to the east of Hockerton Road, covering approximately 0.77 hectares. The site is irregular in shape, with a diagonal boundary line cutting through the field. The remaining portion of the field is outlined in blue on the site location plan, indicating ownership of the applicant. The boundaries to the north, west and south are lined by hedgerow.”

“The village of Upton lies to the south and south east of the site, with a modern development of bungalows immediately adjacent on Watchorn Close. Neighbouring the site to the north is the cricket pavilion which operates as a children’s nursery during the week. Surrounding the site are open fields. The site falls within Flood Zone 1 (lowest risk of flooding).”

Officer report

What officers recommended

Officers recommended approval because the site was considered sustainable, housing benefits outweighed conservation harm, and no other adverse impacts significantly outweighed the benefits.

“The conservation comments conclude that development on the site would result in less than substantial harm to the character of the conservation area, albeit the full impact at this stage cannot be assessed given the nature of the application. A full assessment would be made at technical details consent when the full details of the scheme would be submitted.”

“In any case, Paragraph 215 of the NPPF directs that where there is less than substantial harm, this should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal. Given the Council’s current situation in relation to the lack of 5 year housing land supply, it is considered that small scale residential developments make a valuable contribution towards the Council’s housing targets.”

Officer report

Who spoke

An objector and the parish clerk representing the parish council spoke against the application, while the agent spoke in support.

What members debated

Members disagreed about whether the proposal continued the village, but concerns focused on its countryside location, scale, sustainability and harm to the conservation area.

“Members considered the application, and it was felt that this was infill due to the adjacent cricket pavilion, but in the open countryside. Five properties would not be in keeping with the rest of the village and the site was considered out of the village. The location was incongruous with the village of Upton and would cause harm to the character of the Conservation Area, noting the fields surrounding the village made a special contribution to the Conservation Area.”

“Other Members commented that the proposal continued the line of the village and was book ended and allowed the village to grow, which was a natural progression.”

Minutes

The vote and decision

The committee rejected approval by six votes to seven, then voted seven to six to refuse permission in principle for location, sustainability and conservation reasons.

“AGREED Moved Councillor K Melton and Seconded Councillor P Harris (with 7 votes For and 6 vote Against) that contrary to Officer recommendation Permission in Principle be Refused for the following reasons:”

“(i) Concerns about location and sustainability (DM8); (ii) impact on the special character and appearance of the Conservation Area, noting importance of historic fields in this part of the Conservation Area.”

Minutes