Stratford on Avon District Council's planning committee had rejected the proposals last year despite a recommendation for approval by the Council's planning officer. The committee had cited concerns regarding the landscape and visual harm the development would cause, its location outside the settlement boundary, and the loss of employment land as reasons for refusing planning permission at the time.
The Inspector said in her decision notice (29-page / 289KB PDF) that, when comparing the proposed scheme with the current buildings on the site, the footprint and volume of the new buildings would be "considerably less" than the existing measurements.
"Consequently, it seems to me that the proposed scheme would have a lesser impact on the openness of the countryside than the existing industrial development," the Inspector said. She concluded that, taking into account the removal of existing industrial buildings, the proposed scheme would represent an overall benefit in terms of landscape character and visual impact.
The Inspector said that, although the scheme was contrary to local policies seeking to resist development in the countryside, it did meet the local policy aim of using previously developed land (PDL) for new development. "Using derelict industrial PDL to provide a more open, visually improved, mixed scheme is appropriate in the circumstances of this particular case," she said.
The Inspector noted that the Council could not demonstrate a five year housing land supply as required by the National Planning Policy Framework. She said that the proposed scheme would provide "much needed" market and affordable housing and, therefore, would be a significant benefit to the Council's housing supply.
The Inspector also concluded that there was a limited demand for the site for employment purposes and that the proposals would therefore not cause a loss of business or employment opportunities. "On the contrary, the proposal's small employment element would provide some employment opportunities," she said.
