The recent decision by the Secretary of state to overturn Cherwell’s decision to refuse another development in Hook Norton is to be legally challenged.
Although on a lesser scale than Bloxham, Hook Norton and other local villages are a magnet for developers seeking to make high profits from edge of village greenfield sites. A central government policy of “build anything, anywhere” may be a bit of an overstatement but it does seem to us that locally such developments get permission with little more than lip-service to genuine sustainability or infrastructure needs.
The Hook Norton decision certainly seems to place too little weight on the recent Hook Norton Neighbourhood Plan but the situation is made complicated by the timings : the planning application, the Local Plan and the Neighbourhood Plan were all in place at the time of the decision but possibly not at the time of the application. On the other hand – if the government’s “Localism Agenda” is anything more than political spin – then maybe one would have hoped the Secretary of State’s Hook Norton decision would have shown concern to demonstrate this. It didn’t!
Below is the Cherwell DC Press release.
Last month, the Secretary of State Tim Wood allowed an appeal by Gladman Homes for the erection of up to 54 residential dwellings, landscape and public open space at land at Sibford Road.
The application had originally been refused permission by Cherwell District Council in September 2014 and will now be subject to a legal challenge which is to be launched by the authority.
Cllr Michael Gibbard, Cherwell’s lead member for planning, said: “We have sought advice and believe that the decision to allow this appeal is legally flawed. The inspector has not properly understood or applied the Hook Norton Neighbourhood Plan which stipulates no more than 20 dwellings should be built in any one location at any time.
“Furthermore, Cherwell’s Local Plan includes Hook Norton as one of 24 Category A villages, which are considered to be the most sustainable for development compared with Category B and C villages. In his decision, the Secretary of State appears to elevate Hook Norton above other Category A Villages; this is factually inaccurate as reference to Hook Norton’s sustainability is in fact in comparison the Category B and C sites.”
The council will also argue the similarities between this case and an application for 95 homes in Kirtlington, which was refused at appeal due to the significant number of homes being concentrated in one village.
The Cherwell Local Plan provides for a total of 750 homes to be built at Category A villages. A significant number of sites have already been identified across the district and it is important that there is a sustainable distribution of the remainder.Council officers are concerned that the appeal decision does not adequately explain why a relatively larger share of the 750 dwellings is acceptable at Hook Norton compared to other villages listed in Policy Villages 2 of the Local Plan. This is particularly important in the context of other developments recently approved at Hook Norton including 70 homes in Bourne Lane which are under construction.
Broadsheet Editors Note – So far as we are aware the Secretary of State is actually Greg Clarke.
The Inspector’s report upon which the Secretary of State’s decision was based was Tim Wood
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