A recent planning appeal has been approved by the Secretary of State for 600 new homes at Doncaster.

FPCR provided landscape witnesses at an Inquiry to address ‘Green Wedge’, separation and coalescence issues. On an unallocated greenfield site, and with the Council having a 10-year housing supply, the Secretary of State agreed with the Inspector’s finding that the identified harm would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the scheme.Appointed by Hallam Land Management Ltd, FPCR provided urban design, masterplanning, landscape, ecology and arboricultural services as part of an outline planning application. This included preparing the application’s Masterplan, Design & Access Statement, Landscape & Visual Appraisal and Ecological Assessment.

Located on the edge of the urban area, but between the separate settlements of Edenthorpe and Armthorpe, FPCR’s masterplan included a comprehensive new green infrastructure of connected open space, community parks, new woodland and recreational routes.

The Inspector concluded that “The proposal would represent good quality development presenting an opportunity to enhance the ecology and biodiversity of the adjacent Long Plantation, as well as establishing a community park whilst respecting the character of the wider countryside” and that the:

“The appeal proposal would not harm the landscape character and, in respect of introducing high quality landscape, could enhance the transition between the built edge and the wider countryside. Further the landscaped/open space element of the proposal would also serve as a green infrastructure corridor maintaining separation between settlements but creating green linkages through to the open landscape” (APP/F4410/W/17/3169288)