The council was concerned that the scale of the development and the proximity of some of the buildings to the site boundaries would adversely affect the living conditions of nearby residents and that public use of a park adjacent to the site would be undermined. It also claimed that the scheme's failure to take a river out of a culvert running underneath the site was a missed opportunity to secure environmental and visual benefits.
The inspector decided that none of these objections was sufficient to justify refusing permission, given that the council's draft unitary development plan supported employment development on the land. He acknowledged that deculverting the river would bring environmental and ecological benefits, but judged that this would be an expensive operation that could not be justified as a requirement for the development to proceed.
DCS No: 29975820; Inspector: Andrew Newman; Inquiry.
