Following an appeal hearing on February 4th 2025, the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has approved the occupation of up to 150 homes on allocated land at Rectory Farm, Grantham, before long-delayed works to a nearby junction are completed. The decision was received just three days after the hearing on February 7th, and will allow Vistry East Anglia to occupy 90 homes and Jelson Homes a further 60, without further impediment on the approved 850 home urban extension.
David Lock Associates instructed Zack Simons KC, and worked alongside highway consultants Pell Frischmann in winning this appeal.
The planning permissions, both originally granted in January 2023, included a condition (number 24) requiring that no homes be occupied prior to the nearby A1/A52 southbound junction being improved. Unfortunately, despite the developers working with National Highways to secure detailed designs for the junction works, completion of the improvement scheme is not likely to occur before 2026.
South Kesteven District Council, advised by National Highways, had refused an application to vary the condition to allow the occupation of up to 150 homes prior to completion of the junction scheme, considering that the resultant impact on the highway network would be severe. However, the judgement was based on an unrealistic assessment scenario, which included the full build-out of 1800 dwellings on an adjacent site. Since the refusal, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been updated, and now includes requirements that any highway-based application refusals be underpinned by reasonable and realistic assessment scenarios.
The PINS decision, which can be read in full here, allows this stalled development to progress, supplying much needed housing on this allocated and permitted site. In addition, David Lock Associates recently helped secure a resolution to grant outline planning permission for 400 homes comprising Phase 2 of this key urban extension to Grantham.