Appeals round-up: Council defeated in abandonment hearing; McDonald’s allowed near primary school despite obesity fears

Council defeated in abandonment hearing

Despite acknowledging the 'very poor' physical condition of a building in Yorkshire and the appellant's failure to make it watertight, an inspector decided that a 'reasonable onlooker' would not consider it abandoned and that it had retained its lawful use.

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McDonald’s allowed near primary school despite obesity fears

Plans for a new McDonald’s near a primary school in Mansfield can go ahead, after an inspector ruled that younger children were likely to be accompanied by a parent or guardian who would ‘have the child’s health in mind’ when selecting food.

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30-turbine wind farm would harm Scotland’s ‘scenic beauty’

Plans for a major wind farm in the Scottish Southern Uplands have been blocked by the Scottish ministers, who agreed with a reporter’s finding that the scheme’s benefits were outweighed by its harm to Scotland’s identity.

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Flats to adjoin theatre violate ‘agent of change’ principle

Plans for eight flats that would adjoin a community-run listed theatre in Wallingford would put it at ‘significant risk’ of noise complaints that could compromise its operation, as well as causing heritage harm, an inspector has found.

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29-storey tower rejected in low-rise Kennington

A developer’s plan to deliver 258 new homes on a 0.7-hectare site in South London has been blocked following a public inquiry, after an inspector labelled the proposal an ‘alien and incongruous’ development that would not create a balanced community.

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Military tunnel complex can become wine warehouse

Plans have been approved to convert Drakelow Tunnels, the largest underground space in the UK open to the public, into a warehouse for 10,000 tonnes of wine, a bespoke bat roost and a museum, after an inspector cited ‘very special circumstances’.

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Enforcement quashed despite listed building’s musical history

An inspector has quashed enforcement action against works that altered a double-height concert room installed in the listed coach house of a Nottinghamshire estate, ruling that its musical significance had died with the composer who had lived there.

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