- Decision
- allowed, 24 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: G Sibley
- Authority
- Coventry (West Midlands)
- Appeal reference
- 6009837
- Application reference
- PL/2025/0001987/OUT
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Outline permission for two dwellings (access only) behind houses on Hawkes Mill Lane
- Homes
- 2
- Site context
- green belt, settlement edge
- Green Belt
- Yes (grey belt accepted)
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- GB7(1)(g), TR3
- Development plan policies
- Coventry Local Plan 2017 GB1, H3, AC1, AC4, AC5
- Main issues
- inappropriate development in Green Belt; sustainable location
Summary
Outline permission for two houses on a contained plot within a small group of houses at Hawkes End, Coventry Green Belt. Allowed: grey belt, unmet need via the published Housing Delivery Test (below 75%), and a sustainable location under TR3, so not inappropriate under GB7(1)(g). The location finding rests on a short description of a partly unlit footpath and "nearby" buses, with no distances or frequencies.
Issues and findings
- Transition. "The main parties were given the opportunity to comment on the implications of the new Framework" (DL ¶2).
- Grey belt: PASS. "I therefore find that the site does not strongly contribute to purpose (a)" (DL ¶7), and likewise (b) and (d).
- (g)(ii) via HDT: PASS. "the HDT remains the published measure for the purposes of applying national policy at the time of this decision" (DL ¶9); "I find that there is an evidenced unmet need for the proposed dwellings" (DL ¶10).
- (g)(iii) / TR3: PASS. "Although the part of the route nearest to the site is not fully street lit, the route is lit for much of its length and would provide a walking route for future occupiers" (DL ¶12). "day-to-day travel would not be wholly dependent on the private car. The proposal would therefore accord with Policy TR3 of the Framework" (DL ¶13).
- Self-build UU: defective and unnecessary. "the undertaking lacks the clarity and precision required for an enforceable planning obligation" (DL ¶16).
Planning balance
None. Not inappropriate and compliant with the development plan as a whole (DL ¶14, ¶31). S5(5) is not mentioned.
What made the difference
The site's containment within an existing group of houses (grey belt) and a published HDT result the council could not displace. The TR3 finding is brief; compare Coventry 6011410 (same authority, same week).
Transferable points
- The published HDT result governs fn41 until a new plan is adopted, even if the council questions the ONS figures behind it (DL ¶9–10).
- A contained plot within a group of houses behind a road frontage does not strongly contribute to purposes (a), (b) or (d) (DL ¶7).
- Weak authority on (g)(iii): the letter accepts "not be wholly dependent on the private car" without distances or bus frequencies (DL ¶12–13).
- An imprecise self-build UU is not relied on; the BNG condition then applies (DL ¶16–17).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnnexB:grey-belt | pass | within small group of houses behind Hawkes Mill Lane frontage; no strong contribution to (a), (b) or (d) (DL 6-8) | |
| GB7(1)(g)(i) | pass | would not fundamentally undermine purposes across plan area; letter also says no undermining of encroachment purpose (DL 8) | |
| GB7(1)(g)(ii) | pass | fn41 via published HDT below 75% (figure not stated); council's challenge to ONS figures behind HDT rejected pending plan review adoption (DL 9-10) | |
| GB7(1)(g)(iii) | pass | footpath to Allesley, not fully lit near the site but "lit for much of its length"; cycling practicable; "nearby bus services" to Coventry; no distances, times or bus frequencies stated; "not be wholly dependent on the private car" (DL 11-13) | |
| TR3 | pass | TR3 paraphrased incl. rural practicability; accords (DL 11, 13) | |
| DM6 | neutral | self-build UU imprecise (refers to "the Dwelling", "first occupier") and not necessary; not relied on; BNG condition applies as self-build exemption not secured (DL 15-19) |
Key facts
- Hawkes End has limited services; Allesley nearby with day-to-day needs (distance not stated) (DL 12)
- Published HDT result relied on; council argued emerging plan evidence questions the ONS figures (DL 9)
- Access via existing track between 244 and 248 Hawkes Mill Lane (DL 22)
- [object Object]
- Parties given the opportunity to comment on the 2026 Framework (DL 2)
Related decisions
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.