- Decision
- dismissed, 22 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: Claire Coles
- Authority
- Camden (London)
- Appeal reference
- 6007200
- Application reference
- 2025/5809/P
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Replacement of an InLink unit with a larger BT Street Hub 3 with digital advert panels (Appeal B 6007199 advert consent 2026/0074/A also dismissed)
- Site context
- inside settlement, near station
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- P5, CO1, HC4
- Development plan policies
- Camden Local Plan C5, C6, D1, D4, T1, A1, G1
- Main issues
- community safety; character; pedestrian safety; maintenance
Summary
Replacing an existing InLink unit at Swiss Cottage with a larger Street Hub 3. The planning and advert appeals were both dismissed, on community safety alone. Character, pedestrian flow and maintenance were all found acceptable. CO1 and HC4 substantial weight were acknowledged, but the benefits largely duplicated the existing unit. They did not outweigh a site-specific police objection about concealment and phone theft next to a cycle lane (DL ¶38).
What made the difference
Site-specific police evidence tied to the unit's wider solid form and the adjacent cycle lane, and the fact that benefits already provided by the existing unit add little. The same inspector's reasoning contrasts with hub appeals where crime objections were generic (for example PINS-6002960).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO1 | benefit | substantial | substantial weight given, with HC4 substantial weight to community facilities, but similar benefits already provided by the existing InLink unit (DL 16, 38) |
| P5 | fail | significant | Met Police objection "given substantial weight": wider solid unit gives concealment, phone users exposed to theft by cyclists using the adjacent cycle lane; no site-specific measures (DL 11-17, 39); decided under Camden C5; code mapped by harvester |
| DP3(1) | pass | replacement in the same position adds no clutter; no character harm (DL 18-25); code mapped by harvester |
Key facts
- Theft from the person and ASB among top crimes in Primrose Hill ward (DL 12)
- Maintenance can be secured by condition; no s106 needed (DL 31-34)
- Parties consulted on the 2026 Framework (DL 6)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.