Home << Back

Permission granted at appeal for 6 apartments within 3 villas at Abbeydale Hall, Dore, Sheffield

DLP Planning Ltd (Sheffield) has secured planning permission at appeal for a residential development within the grounds of the historic Abbeydale Hall in Sheffield. The application site previously formed part of the ornamental garden developed in association with Hall in the mid-1800’s, however, following the conversion of the main hall to educational use, and subsequently entering private ownership, the gardens have become derelict and isolated. This has been compounded by the recent construction of neighbouring residential development within the grounds of the hall.

The reasons for the refusal of the planning application related, inter alia, to the loss of informal open space, the encroachment of the development into the ponds and water features within the site and the development being detrimental to the local environment and amenity.

On appeal, DLP demonstrated that the proposal as conceived supported the restoration of the historic ponds and gardens, that the Council’s claims regarding a deficit of informal open space in the surrounding area were flawed and that the site, in its current state, represented a decaying and unsafe private site, offering no public amenity provision.

Detailed design and survey work was presented to demonstrate the positive impacts and benefits of the scheme (on the ponds and wildlife) and a commitment was made to future public access through the site by the applicant.
The Inspector also accepted submissions regarding the measures put in place to secure environmental enhancement and public access to the gardens, and concluded that the Council’s claim that viability considerations could result in further unsuitable, revisions to the current application was unsupported, given it (the LPA) would have control over any alternative proposals. Similarly, the Inspector also concluded that appropriate conditions   would provide sufficient safeguards.