- Decision
- dismissed, 21 August 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: K Townend
- Authority
- Worcester (West Midlands)
- Appeal reference
- 6010271
- Application reference
- 25/00909/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- New dwelling in the side gap of a semi-detached house, forming a short terrace
- Homes
- 1
- Site context
- inside settlement
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- DP3, S4
- Development plan policies
- South Worcestershire Development Plan Review 2026 SWDPR 28, SWDPR 35
- Main issues
- character and appearance; living conditions; biodiversity net gain
Summary
A new house in the side gap of a 1950s-style estate corner in Worcester was dismissed. It would erode one of the repeated "designed gaps" that give the estate its openness, overlook a neighbour's garden, and it had no BNG baseline (DL ¶10-21).
What made the difference
The gap's role in the estate's layout (DL ¶10). With a five-year supply now shown, one dwelling's limited benefits were "substantially outweigh[ed]" (DL ¶23).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| DP3 | fail | loss of a designed gap at a corner, eroding the rhythm and openness of the estate; SWDPR 28 conflict (DL 10-14) | |
| P3 | fail | rear first-floor window overlooks garden of No 45; SWDPR 35 conflict (DL 15-18) | |
| S4 | fail | limited benefits of one home "substantially outweigh[ed]" by character harm (DL 23) |
Key facts
- Not re-consulted: the revised Framework was "significantly different" but the pertinent wording unchanged (DL 4)
- No baseline habitat assessment, so the statutory 10% BNG could not be shown (DL 19-21)
- Council shows 5-year supply after SWDPR adoption (DL 22)
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.