- Decision
- allowed, 25 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: G Sibley
- Authority
- Coventry (West Midlands)
- Appeal reference
- 6011410
- Application reference
- PL/2025/0001991/PIP
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Permission in principle (stage 1) for a single dwelling
- Homes
- 1
- 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, emerging Coventry Local Plan Review GB1
- Main issues
- inappropriate development in Green Belt; sustainable location
Summary
Permission in principle for one house on an enclosed plot at Hawkes End, Coventry Green Belt. Allowed as not inappropriate under GB7(1)(g): grey belt, unmet need via the Housing Delivery Test, and a TR3-compliant location. The reasoning mirrors PINS-6009837 and the location finding is similarly brief.
Issues and findings
- Transition. "The main parties were given the opportunity to comment on the implications of the new Framework" (DL ¶3).
- Grey belt: PASS. "These features enclose the site and create hard boundaries" (DL ¶8); "I consider that the appeal site is grey belt land" (DL ¶10).
- (g)(ii): PASS via the published HDT (DL ¶11–12).
- (g)(iii) / TR3: PASS. "I recognise that the section closest to the appeal site is not fully street lit. Even so, much of the route is lit and it would provide a realistic pedestrian option for future occupiers" (DL ¶14). "day-to-day travel would not be wholly dependent on the private car" (DL ¶15).
- Earlier decision. The 1979 appeal "was made under a different national policy context and before the current grey belt provisions" (DL ¶17).
Planning balance
None. Not inappropriate; complies with the development plan (DL ¶18, ¶22). S5(5) not mentioned.
What made the difference
Hard boundaries (houses and a lane) made the plot grey belt, and the published HDT result supplied fn41 need. The location limb passed without measured distances or bus data.
Transferable points
- A plot enclosed by houses and a lane, with open land beyond the lane, does not strongly contribute to purpose (a) (DL ¶8).
- Pre-grey-belt appeal decisions on the same land carry limited weight (DL ¶17).
- Weak authority on (g)(iii): "not be wholly dependent on the private car" accepted without distances or bus frequencies (DL ¶14–15).
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 | plot enclosed by row of houses and Ted Pitts Lane; no strong contribution to (a), (b), (d) (DL 7-10) | |
| GB7(1)(g)(i) | pass | not fundamentally undermine; letter also considers encroachment (c) and urban regeneration (e) within this limb (DL 10) | |
| GB7(1)(g)(ii) | pass | fn41 via published HDT below 75% (figure not stated) despite council's ONS challenge (DL 11-12) | |
| GB7(1)(g)(iii) | pass | footpath to Allesley, closest section not fully lit, "much of the route is lit"; cycling practicable; "Nearby bus services"; no distances or frequencies; "not be wholly dependent on the private car" (DL 13-15) | |
| TR3 | pass | accords (DL 15) | |
| GB7(1)(c) | not-engaged | limited infilling / ribbon development not decided as (g) already met (DL 16) | |
| DM4 | neutral | limited | emerging plan review at examination, limited weight (DL 4) |
| HE9 | neutral | Brownshill Green CA setting preserved (DL 19) |
Key facts
- Near-identical reasoning to PINS-6009837 (same inspector, same lane, previous day)
- 1979 appeal decision on the site given limited weight as pre-grey-belt policy (DL 17)
- Appellant's accessible-accommodation needs noted under PSED but not needed (DL 20)
- Parties given the opportunity to comment on the 2026 Framework (DL 3)
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.