ET Planning assists Council secure dismissal of Whitchurch housing appeal
The Challenge
ET Planning assisted Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council by providing an Expert Planning Witness at a public inquiry into proposals for 115 homes, a public house and employment space on land east of Bere Hill, Whitchurch. The appeal followed the Council’s non-determination of the application. The 8.8-hectare site occupied an exposed area of countryside within the setting of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. With the Council’s housing land supply falling significantly below five years, the scheme offered substantial housing benefits. The challenge was to demonstrate why its landscape impacts and design shortcomings nevertheless justified a refusal of planning permission. At the inquiry, the Council’s outstanding objections focused on landscape character, the setting of the National Landscape ,and design quality. The case required careful consideration of the proposed character and design merits, the scheme’s relationship with the town and surrounding countryside, and the balance between development benefits and environmental harm.
Our Approach
Emily Temple gave planning evidence for behalf of the Council, working alongside Counsel and the Council’s landscape and design witnesses. Our role was to present the planning case against the proposal within the wider inquiry team, addressing the policy context and overall planning balance, in the context of non-determination. The Inspector found that the scheme would cause serious landscape harm, adversely affect the setting of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape and fail to achieve an acceptable quality of design. Proposed planting would not adequately address the lasting visual effects, while fragmented open spaces and a hard, repetitive built form added to the design concerns. The appeal was dismissed on 15 September 2026. Despite recognising the substantial housing benefits, the Inspector concluded that the adverse effects outweighed the scheme’s collective benefits and that permission should not be granted. The decision also considered the revised national planning policy published after the inquiry. This successful outcome demonstrates ET Planning’s ability to support local planning authorities with expert planning evidence and representation at complex public inquiries, including cases involving significant housing need and sensitive landscapes. It also represents a further success for ET Planning in defending Basingstoke & Deane Council at appeal. Whilst ET Planning seek to support development opportunities, it is also necessary to ensure sustainable development is achieved in terms of the right homes in the right places.
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