Following the serving of an enforcement notice on the land, GSP was instructed by Blake Morgan to represent the landowner and provide planning evidence at an 8-day public inquiry.

The lawful use of the majority of the site was for soil screening and processing. The Inspector granted permission that clarifies the same site can now also be lawfully used for the screening and processing of stone and mixed construction and demolition wastes.

The Inspector agreed with GSP’s case that there were no controls on stockpile height or location, or on necessary plant and machinery on the lawful soil screening land, so it fell to the impact of the use on the small amount of additional land beyond that, but by removing this land he found that the mixed use would be no worse in respect of Green Belt harm than the existing lawful development. He also concluded that there had been no other harms including specifically noise.

The Inspector considered that many of GSP’s suggested conditions were not necessary to make the development acceptable, including a wide landscaping scheme, stockpile height management, external lighting, removal of permitted development rights and dust management, resulting in a fantastic outcome for the landowner, which reported a £3 million uplift in the value of the land as a result of the permission being granted.

For this project, GSP worked alongside Blake Morgan LLP (solicitor), Six Pump Court Chambers (barrister) as well as co-consultants relating to landscaping and noise.