APPEALS INFORMATION
Performance April 2020 to end of March 2023, appeals started in March 2024 and decisions received in March 2024
Background
1. In 2013 the Government published “Improving Planning Performance – Criteria for Designation”[1] which was last updated in October 2022. It sets out the Government’s criteria for assessing Local Planning Authority (LPA) performance on the speed and quality of application decisions for major and non-major development (i.e., Minor and Other applications).
2. The purpose of the criteria is to contribute to the government’s objectives of boosting the supply of housing and economic growth. The performance of LPAs in determining planning applications in a timely fashion is crucial to deliver these objectives.
3. The consequence of underperformance is the potential ‘designation’ of the LPA by the Secretary of State, where applicants have the option of submitting their application for major and non-major development (and connected applications[2]) directly to the Planning Inspectorate (PINs) for determination. Although the application fee goes to the PINs, the LPA continue to process the application.
4. The quality of decision making by LPAs is measured by the proportion of decisions on applications that are subsequently overturned at appeal.
5. One of the improvements identified by the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) was to ensure that the Planning Committee are fully aware of the speed and quality of decision making as they are an important contributor. This report deals solely with the quality of decision making and will be reported from here on monthly, whereas the speed of decision making will be reported quarterly. ‘
6. The council’s performance for the period April 2020 to March 2022 and April 2021 to March 2023 are shown overleaf. This is the latest published data by the Government. For the period April 2022 to March 2024, there is no officially published data as yet, as decisions refused by the council in March 2024 can be appealed up to 6 months after the date of the refusal. In addition, there is no published threshold for this period.
Table 1 below sets out the Government published threshold, assessment periods and our performance.
|
Measure/type of Application |
Threshold and assessment period April 2020 to March 2022 |
South Oxfordshire District Council performance April 2020 to March 2022 (lower = better) |
Threshold and assessment period April 2021 to March 2023 |
South Oxfordshire District Council performance April 2021 to March 2023 (lower = better) |
|
Quality of Major development |
10% |
2.9% |
10% |
2.0% |
|
Quality of non-major development (i.e., Minors and Others) |
10% |
0.7% |
10% |
0.8% |
7. As Table 1 above shows, for the assessment periods 2020-2022 and 2021 to 2023 the LPA’s quality performance figures in relation to both major and minor (non-major) decisions have been significantly below the 10% threshold, which is good.
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Town/Parish |
Location |
Description of development |
Council Decision |
Appeal Date lodged and type |
Reference |
|
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Cholsey |
Land east of Reading Road, Cholsey
|
Change of use of land to informal private leisure use; to include an area allocated to the open storage of non-motorised boats and the siting of a trailer storage shed (Retrospective) |
Refused (Delegated) |
5 March 2024 Written Representations |
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Chinnor |
6 Oakley Lane, Chinnor
|
Two-storey front extension, two-storey side extension, two-storey rear extension and single storey side/rear extension
|
Refused (Delegated) |
11 March 2024 Householder Fastrack
|
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|
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Crowell |
Surman& Horwood Funeral Service, The Green, Crowell |
Construction of a detached outbuilding to provide secure covered parking, with a new permeable car parking surface. |
Refused (Delegated) |
12 March Written Representations |
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Thame |
Yeats Lodge, Thame |
5 x flag poles, 1 x monolith, 2 x micro monolith, 4 x hanging signs; and various other signage (Retrospective) |
Refused (Committee Overturn) |
27 March Commercial Appeals Service |
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|
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APPEALS DECIDED – MARCH 2024
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Town/Parish |
Location |
Description of development |
Decision |
Appeal Decision & Date |
Reference (link) |
|
Watlington |
Grove Farm, Pishill |
Conversion of existing barn into a single 4-bedroom dwelling, construction of new car port and renovation of existing stables. Demolition of all other site buildings and upgrade of existing vehicular entrance
|
Refused (Committee Overturn) |
Dismissed 5 March 2024 |
|
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Marsh Baldon |
Penstemon House, Mash Baldon
|
Erection of an extension at rear of property over existing single storey section to create 1st floor annexe |
Refused (Delegated) |
Allowed 8 March 2024 |
|
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West Hagbourne |
Horse and Harrow, West Hagbourne
|
Proposed is change of use of existing public house (Sui Generis) to provide a three-bed dwelling and a four-bed dwelling (Use C3), erection of a three-bed and two four-bed dwellings (Use C3) on land adjacent to the public house accessed from Main Street, with associated parking and landscaping, along with the demolition of existing outbuilding
|
Refused (Committee Overturn) |
Allowed 14 March 2024
Costs application (by Appellant) Refused 14 March 2024 |
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Didcot |
136-138 Broadway and 3-5 Station Road, Didcot |
Proposed internal revisions to the building to create 2 additional flats (1 each at first and second floors) together with alterations to layout of 2 previously permitted flats (1 each at first and second floors)
|
Refused (Delegated) |
Dismissed 25 March 2024
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[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/947446/CM_Improving_planning_performance_2020.pdf
[2] Excluding householder and retrospective applications which the Government considers are best dealt with locally.
[3] An associated application P23/V0475/FUL[3] for the change of use of land (currently Sui Generis) to provide additional residential garden space (Use Class C3), associated with planning application on land within Vale of White Horse District Council was approved on 14 March 2024.