A BELIEVED first ever appeal against the borough council over the issue of housing need has been won.

Acting on behalf of the owner of land in Nately Scures, Pro Vision has secured outline planning approval on appeal for three detached dwellings on the parcel of countryside lande adjacent to the A30 with housing to either side.

The application was initially refused by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) planning officers in November 2017 on the grounds the site was in the countryside and not a suitable location for further growth.

However, following an appeal the planning inspector, Tim Wood, concluded that the proposal met a locally agreed housing need – a key council criteria for allowing new housing in the countryside - resulting in outline planning approval being granted.

Katherine Miles, planning director at Pro Vision, said: “This is an under-utilised parcel of land within an existing village location. The council accepted the site was in a sustainable location and there was no harm to neighbours as a result of the development.

“The inspector’s decision enables this site to be developed for much-needed family housing and homes suitable for downsizing.

“We understand this is the first successful appeal against Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council on the specific issue of local housing need.”

Under Local Plan policy, new housing in the countryside outside settlement boundaries will be allowed if it meets four criteria, including being small-scale residential development of a type that meets a local need.

The council accepted the application met three points of the criteria and was small-scale, but argued it had not been demonstrated the development met a locally agreed need.

However, after reviewing the evidence, including a Rural Housing Study published in 2010, Newnham Parish Council Planning Statement of 2014 and an up-to-date housing needs assessment supplied by Pro Vision for the appeal, the inspector concluded there was an unmet local housing need.

Matthew Evans, head of planning and infrastructure at BDBC, said: “A planning appeal has been allowed for three three-bedroom homes in Nately Scures.

“The council’s Local Plan directs new housing to the most sustainable locations, in and around towns and villages.

“Outside these areas, planning policies seek to balance the protection of the countryside with the need to enable rural communities to thrive and grow.

“In this case, the inspector considered the evidence that the appellant had provided, including a housing need survey of residents in Nately Scures and Newnham, and concluded that it demonstrated that there was a ‘locally agreed need’ for housing in line with the requirements of policy.”

“The council will continue to assess planning applications on their specific merits, against Local Plan policies, and ensure that proposals for new homes in the countryside deliver high quality, sustainable development that protect and support rural communities.”