Council welcomes decision to dismiss appeal
The Planning Inspectorate has dismissed an appeal to build on the Green Belt in Castle Point.
In October 2023 Castle Point Borough Council’s Development Management Committee voted for the officer’s recommendation to refuse outline permission for up to 58 dwellings with associated infrastructure, as it was within the Green Belt and caused concern of unmitigated harm to identified habitats sites.
Following an appeal hearing held at the Council Offices in April / May 2024, the Planning Inspector has now returned a verdict concluding that “… the contributions that the proposal would make to housing and affordable housing supply to be modest relative to the overall degree of harm that would be caused to the Green Belt”.
Responding to the decision, Cllr Warren Gibson, Deputy Leader, said: “Our officers worked hard to prepare for this appeal and were able to robustly defend it. We welcome the decision made by the Planning Inspector and thank them for their thorough work assessing the harm the proposed development would have had on our Green Belt.”