- Decision
- approved, 18 August 2026
- Decided by
- Council officer (delegated): SDC delegated (case officer SL, 18 Aug 2026)
- Authority
- Stratford-on-Avon (West Midlands)
- Application reference
- 26/01608/FUL
- Procedure
- delegated
- Development
- Replacement of a lawful light-industrial building (former cheese factory) with a new commercial building
- Site context
- green belt, open countryside
- Green Belt
- Yes (grey belt not argued)
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- GB7(1)(b)
- Development plan policies
- Stratford-on-Avon Core Strategy 2016 CS.10, CS.22, AS.10(l), Tanworth-in-Arden NDP E1
- Main issues
- Green Belt replacement building
Summary
A replacement commercial building in the Green Belt at Earlswood, granted under delegated powers on 18 August 2026. This is one of the first SDC decisions to quote GB7(1)(b). A 16% increase in volume with a smaller footprint was held "not materially larger".
Issues and findings
- GB7(1)(b). "The development falls within GB.7 (b) as the replacement building, would remain in the same use and is not materially larger than the building it replaces. The existing building has a footprint of 458sqm and volume of 1985 cubic metres … The proposed building would have a footprint of 414sqm and volume of 2307 cubic metres, with a height of 6.5 metres" (Report p.5).
- Development plan. AS.10(l) supports redevelopment "at a similar scale of an existing building for business purposes". CS.22 and NDP E1 support it (pp.3–4).
Planning balance
Not inappropriate, so no very special circumstances needed. Policy-compliant and granted.
What made the difference
Same use and a near-identical envelope.
Transferable points
- SDC benchmark for GB7(1)(b) replacements: +16% volume, -10% footprint and +0.3 m height is "not materially larger" (p.5).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7(1)(b) | pass | same use; footprint 458 to 414 sq m (-10%), volume 1,985 to 2,307 m3 (+16%), height 6.2 to 6.5 m, held "not materially larger" | |
| Transitional(2) | accord | CS.10(d) "defers back" to the NPPF, so treated as consistent |
Key facts
- Lawful use confirmed by LDC 23/03181/LDE (light industrial)
- Existing building sub-standard (low eaves, asbestos roof)
- Decided the day after the 2026 Framework took effect, citing GB7(b) verbatim
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.