- Decision
- part-allowed, 4 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: H Nicholls
- Authority
- South Oxfordshire (South East)
- Appeal reference
- 6007396
- Application reference
- P25/S3791/DIS
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Approval of details for conditions 6 (site development scheme), 7 (biodiversity compensation) and 8 (contamination) on an enforcement-appeal deemed permission for a mixed equestrian/caravan site (APP/Q2115/C/3346856)
- Site context
- open countryside
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- No Framework version cited
- Determinative policies
- DM6
- Main issues
- discharge of conditions
Summary
A discharge-of-conditions appeal for a caravan site at Towersey that was permitted through an enforcement appeal. Split decision. The contamination details (condition 8) were approved. The site development scheme and biodiversity compensation details were refused because they did not match what is on the ground. No Framework policy was engaged.
What made the difference
Inconsistency between the submitted plans and the site as built: a hardcore area shown as retained grassland, and drainage percolation values relied on but never supplied (DL ¶6, 9-13).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| DM6 | neutral | code mapped by harvester — condition 8 details approved; condition 6 refused (hardcore area not returned to grass, no percolation values, excessive/unsuitable surface-water scheme); condition 7 refused (HMMP assumes retained 0.422ha grassland that is partly hard-surfaced, so the 34% area-based loss is understated) (DL 4-15) |
Key facts
- HMMP records 34.01% area-based and 22.27% linear habitat net loss, offset by credits
- Pole-mounted lighting still present; proposed low-level lighting an improvement
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.