Acting on behalf of Mulgrave Properties Ltd, DPP were instructed to prepare, submit and manage a full planning application for residential development at land in the village of Rufforth. In summary, the application sought full planning permission for the construction of 21 dwellings on land within the Green Belt.

DPP undertook pre-application discussions with the City of York Council prior to submission of the full planning application. Following refusal of the this application, against an officer recommendation of approval, DPP submitted a second application. Officers again recommended approval, and the application was subsequently approved at Planning Committee.

Achievements

DPP successfully constructed a very special circumstances case for development within the general extent of the Green Belt, based on the level of unmet need for housing in York. Equally, the status of the site, as a draft residential allocation in the City of York Local Plan (also overseen by DPP) further contributed to the very special circumstances case.

During the course of the application, DPP were required to address a number of objections from environmental health, the lead local flood authority and to highways. Balancing all of these competing issues, DPP worked with the applicant to develop a revised site layout plan which addressed all relevant issues, and enabled officers to support the application. Although the application was initially refused by the Council’s Planning Committee against officer recommendation, DPP were confident that the reasons for refusal were spurious, and that a resubmission could be successfully (and negate the need for a costly appeal). DPP were delighted to secure planning permission at the second time of asking.