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On 25th August 2022, after a 2 week planning inquiry, a Planning Inspector has allowed an appeal and granted planning permission for 289 homes on the BioPark site in the heart of Welwyn Garden City. The decision is available here. The Inspector “commended” the scheme’s achievement of “high-quality design… at a relatively high density, delivering a significant number of residential units in an area where they are desperately needed.” He found that “the Council is persistently failing to provide the number of homes needed in the area and there is currently no firm plan to rectify that situation”, with the local plan process progressing “at an exceptionally slow place”. In those circumstances, the Inspector afforded substantial weight to the scheme’s delivery of both market and affordable homes. Zack Simons and Isabella Buono acted for the Appellant, instructed by Victoria Du Croz of Forsters LLP.
