Council says it is winning fight against inappropriate developments

The battle against inappropriate development in the district is being won according to Stratford District Council, who have pointed to a decline in the number of planning appeals being allowed.

This week the authority also highlighted the increasing number of planning appeals that have been dismissed between January 2018 and 2019.

The total number of appeals since January 2018 until July 2019 is 150 and in the first seven months of 2019 there have been 45 appeals dismissed and only 12 allowed.

This compares favourably to the same period last year when 26 appeals were allowed and 24 were dismissed.

Better understanding of the Core Strategy’s policies by officers and planning committees has been credited with making the difference, as has the existence of the council’s five-year housing land supply.

Cllr Sarah Whalley-Hoggins, Community Portfolio says: “This is definitely a welcome trend for the district and shows the importance of having an adopted Core Strategy and a strong and up-to-date five year land supply, with both policies being instrumental in defending appeals against developers. It is also a reflection of the high calibre team that the District Council has in place.

“The District Council is determined to build the right homes in the right places for our communities and we will continue to fight speculative development on sites which are not the most suitable or preferred, whilst ensuring that there is appropriate housing growth.”