BLAENAU GWENT council has avoided paying costs after a development it had rejected on road safety grounds was granted planning permission on appeal.
Plans for 50 homes on a former quarry in Rassau had been blocked last September after the proposed junction leading onto the site was deemed “unacceptable”.
Officers feared that cars queuing on the junction could be at high risk of collisions along the A4281, where surveys have shown vehicles exceeding the 40mph speed limit.
But planning inspector Joanne Burston found that the junction would provide good visibility in both directions, allowing drivers to respond to traffic in good time.
“In any event the speed limit is up to the police to enforce, and I have no records of any accidents for this stretch of highway that could indicate safety issues,” says the inspector’s report.
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“There may well be problems with congestion and speeding in the locality, particularly during the morning and evening peak hours.
“However, the technical evidence before me is that this part of the highway network is neither at, nor near capacity.”
The decision was referred to the Planning Inspectorate by the executors of the 11th Duke of Beaufort’s estate, which includes the three-and-a-half-acre site.
The development will include a mixture of detached and semi-detached three or four-bedroom houses, with the council hoping to secure 10 per cent affordable housing.
While upholding the appeal, the inspector dismissed an application for costs having found that the council had not acted unreasonably and had shown “reasoned” analysis of the scheme’s impacts.
Local authorities are more vulnerable to costs if their decisions are not supported by enough evidence at the appeal stage.
Last year, Blaenau Gwent council was forced to pay £8,678 after inspectors overturned the planning committee’s decision to reject two planning applications.
READ MORE: Council paid out thousands after rejecting planning application against the legal advice of experts
Costs of £64,470 were awarded against Caerphilly council for refusing to grant planning permission for a single planning application.
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