The Secretary of State has upheld the Inspector’s recommendation to allow planning permission for residential development of up to 200 dwellings, on land to the north of Tiptree, Essex.
CSA were part of the consultant team, working with Gladman Developments as the applicant, which showed how development could be accommodated at the site in a sensitive and sustainable manner.
CSA undertook the Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment of the scheme, and also produced an Appeal Statement in relation to landscape matters. In addition, CSA’s ecology team undertook the Ecological Impact Assessment, and we also produced the Arboricultural surveys and reports. The CSA Urban Design team then pulled together all the technical information, producing a well-considered Masterplan and Design and Access Statement, which showed the key design principles for the development.
Colchester Borough Council refused the outline planning application for six reasons, however, the Planning Inspector, Siobham Watson, found that the policies which are most important for determining the appeal are out-of-date, and that the adverse impacts of allowing the appeal would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. The Inspector noted the only demonstrable harm she identified was the loss of open countryside, and that even that harm is limited by the physically enclosed nature of the site.
The Secretary of State agreed with the Inspector’s recommendation, and despite the local MP for the area, Priti Patel, commenting that the applicant’s plan was ‘ill-thought through’, the SoS allowed the appeal and granted planning permission subject to conditions.