Not Infill or Sustainable

Reasons LA05/2022/0033/f is not an infill site nor sustainable development.

1. The proposal is contrary to the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) and Policy CTY8 of Planning Policy Statement 21: Sustainable Development in the Countryside, in that the application site is a visual break and is not located within a small gap in an otherwise substantial and continuously built up frontage which respects the existing development pattern along the frontage and which meets other planning and environmental requirements.
2. The initial step in determining whether an infill opportunity exists is to identify a line of three or more buildings in an otherwise substantial and continuously built-up frontage. This does not exist for the Quarterlands development.
3. It is noted that in terms of infill principles, Building on Tradition advises that buildings should be designed in scale and form with surrounding buildings. Clearly, all surrounding buildings are 1 and 1.5 storeys high.
4. It is considered that the proposal would not respect the existing development pattern exhibited along the frontage.
5. The proposal is contrary to the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) and Policy CTY14 of the Planning Policy Statement 21: Sustainable Development in the Countryside, in that the proposal would result in a suburban style of build-up of development when viewed with existing buildings, does not respect the traditional pattern of settlement exhibited in the area.
6. The proposal is contrary to the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) and Policy CTY15 of the Planning Policy Statement 21: Sustainable Development in the Countryside, in that the development would mar the distinction between the settlement of Drumbeg and the surrounding countryside and would result in urban sprawl.
7. The Settlement Development Limit is drawn to protect the landscape and the visual amenity of the Lagan Valley Regional Park and the Lagan Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
8. The proposal is contrary to the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) and Policy NH6 of Planning Policy Statement 2: Natural Heritage, in that the proposal is not an appropriate design, size and scale for the locality and it does not respect local architectural styles and patterns and traditional boundary details.
9. The scale of the proposal is considered to be large (17 houses in a Hamlet) and therefore is unsympathetic to the special character of the AONB and of the particular locality.
10. It is considered that the proposal does not respect the local architectural styles and patterns or traditional boundary details (removal of hedgerows i.e. 165 + year old Hawthorn hedge) or design.

In summary, this proposal is contrary to the SPPS and Policies CTY 1, 8, 13, 14 and 15 of Planning Policy Statement 21 Sustainable Development in the Countryside.

LA05/2022/0033/F can not be categorised as
Infill and Sustainable development

Infill Development COU8
Infill development is where there is a gap in land with a substantial and continuously built-up frontage which is a line of 4 or more buildings, of which at least 2 must be dwellings, excluding domestic ancillary buildings such as garages, sheds and greenhouses and adjacent to a public road or private laneway.

The proposed dwellings must respect the existing pattern of development in terms of siting and design and be appropriate to the existing size, scale, plot size and width of neighbouring buildings that constitute the frontage of development. Buildings forming a substantial and continuously built-up frontage must be visually linked.

For the purposes of this policy a building’s frontage must extend to the edge of the public road or private laneway and not be separated from it by land or development outside of its curtilage.

Assessment of what constitutes an existing pattern of development must take account and have regard to the size and scale of buildings, their siting and position in relation to each other and the size and width of individual plots upon which they are situated

LA05/2022/0033/f comprises 2 agricultural fields which the developer calls infill between the houses in Zenda Park and Rural Cottages There is no visual link since that is broken by a hedge from Zenda going South. Also, the Road front has I house with its gable wall fronting the Quarterlands road and then the Whitelands separating it from 58 Quarterlands Road. There is no substantial and continuously built-up frontage.

See the Local Development Plan 2032 Part 2: Plan Strategy September 2023 for more detail

Infill-Development-and-Sustainable-Development