Just in case you needed reminding about how little local opinion really matters and how a spectacularly useless Council can really screw things up, the decision to overturn several refusals for planning permission on Idle Moor says it all.
Greed, aided and abetted by idiocy, means that a beautiful part of this area will soon be covered in crappy houses. And, guess what, once they are completed this opens up the next piece of the jigsaw.
Here are some excerpts from the report by Ian Radcliffe, Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government dated 19/1/15.
5. The development plan for the area consists of the Replacement Unitary Development Plan (RUDP) for the Bradford District…Policy OS1…states that the development of Urban Greenspace will not be permitted…I agree with that position.
13. The Inspector who examined the RUDP identified that the Urban Greenspace had an atmosphere of tranquillity and a peaceful quality that provided relief from the urban area…I agree with that assessment.
19. …the proposed development would cause some harm to the character and appearance of the Urban Greenspace, contrary to policy OS1 of the RUDP.
20. …Local Planning Authorities should have deliverable sites to provide at least 5 years of housing against their housing requirements. The Council’s latest assessment is that it has a 2.3 year supply.
28. The local primary schools are full…Similarly, the local secondary schools have insufficient capacity to cater for the development. A financial contribution is therefore necessary to mitigate the effect of the development…
33. For the reasons that I have set out…the proposal would be contrary to the development plan.
34. Such a contravention is a consideration that normally weighs heavily against a proposal. However, the Council does not have a 5 year housing land supply…This is an important material consideration in this appeal.
…and if you are still with me…here’s the way out that allows this to get nodded through…all because we have a Council without a plan…which we all knew. Effectively, it’s open season for developers and no bit of Bradford is safe.
36. The principle of housing on the appeal site would be contrary to the development plan for the area. The proposed development would also cause a moderate amount of harm to the open character and appearance of the Urban Greenspace.
However, given the conflict between the Framework (Government bit) and the approach of the development plan (Council) on the issue of residential development and housing land supply these considerations are of limited weight…
39. The appeal should therefore be allowed. In reaching this decision the views of local residents and councillors have been taken into account (and completely ignored)
So that’s it. Despite almost unanimous local objections any two-bit developer can ride rough shod over these because the Government have a policy and the Council don’t.
Good work Dave.
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