Sunrise Leasowes Road Offenham WR11 8RQ

1. 1.The application site is located outside the defined development boundary of Offenham as defined under adopted Policy SWDPR03 of the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review. The site is therefore located within the open countryside, where development is strictly controlled, subject to the other policies of the Plan. The principle of residential development on this site is not established by any of the relevant exceptions within the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review. Furthermore, the proposal does not fall within any of the relevant forms of development supported outside settlements under Policy S5 of the National Planning Policy Framework. In particular, the proposed development would not constitute limited infilling within a group of houses under criterion S5(1)(e), as it would extend the existing residential form of development towards the agricultural buildings to the east and the open and horticultural land beyond, rather than occupy a limited gap within an established group of houses. The site is not considered to form part of a settlement or a continuous, predominantly built-up area, and the surrounding pattern of development is characterised by sporadic residential development interspersed with open and agricultural land. The Council is able to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites and the proposal is not required to address an evidenced unmet housing need. Accordingly, there is no justification for residential development in this countryside location. Accordingly, the location of the proposed development fails to accord with the provisions of Policy SWDPR03 of the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review and the relevant decision-making policies of the National Planning Policy Framework. The proposal would prejudice the Council's spatial strategy of directing development towards sustainable locations and settlements.
2. 2.The application site forms part of the eastern edge of Offenham and retains an open and predominantly rural character, forming part of the transition between the established built-up form and the surrounding agricultural and horticultural landscape. This part of Offenham is characterised by a relatively loose and low-density pattern of residential development, agricultural and horticultural development, with areas of open land contributing to the character of the settlement edge and its relationship with the surrounding countryside. The retention of the existing dwelling and provision of up to five additional dwellings would represent an inappropriate and uncharacteristic intensification of built form in this location, extending residential development further into the site, domesticing land which presently has an agricultural and horticultural character and eroding the distinction between the established built-up from and the surrounding countryside. The proposal would therefore fail to respond appropriately to the character of the local area and the character of its landscape setting, contrary to Policies SWDPR16, SWDPR28 and SWDPR34 of the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review, 2026 and Policy DP3 of the National Planning Policy Framework.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

WR11 8RQ

Application type

Permission in Principle

Scale / size

Small

Parish

Offenham

Date validated

1 July 2026

Consultation expiry

20 July 2026

Consultation start

6 July 2026

Consultation end

20 July 2026

Agent address

2 St Davids Walk Newbold-On-Stour Stratford upon Avon CV37 8UT

Documents

3