Planning success for Valued Landscape in Winchester

A site on the western edge of Winchester has been successfully found to count as a Valued Landscape; an important decision for CPRE Hampshire’s Local Plan work.

Lanham Lane is on the western edge of Winchester, extending into the countryside leading towards Sparsholt. The application was for 188 houses on a site not allocated in the current or emerging Local Plan, and appealed following Winchester City Council’s failure to determine the application within the prescribed time period – a clear attempt by the developer to bypass the local planning system.

If allowed, this development would start an urban expansion into open countryside of Winchester over a ridge which has defined the urban limit to the west to date.

While the landscape in which the site sits was acknowledged as being sensitive in its role in the setting of Winchester, in the absence of any specific designation or indication or quality, the issue of whether it amounted to a Valued Landscape or not was much debated.

Following that discussion and her own experiences on site visits, the Inspector concluded that:

“the site forms part of an area that should be considered valued as possessing a combination of qualities that elevate it beyond the ordinary. These include the deeply rural and tranquil character of the locality, its scenic quality and contrasting far reaching views with enclosed lanes offering more filtered views, and the degree to which the sites and area are representative of key characteristics in the LCA …”

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Para 187(a) was held to apply.

The fact that the site is well contained by hedgerows and trees and not that remarkable on its own did not prevent it being found part of a wider area of Valued Landscape (Paras 24-47 of the Appeal Decision).

This an important and up-to-date decision for our Local Plan work in relation to:

• Containing the urban expansion of Winchester in a westerly direction
• Assessing proposed site allocations for Valued Landscape
• Assessing proposed site allocations which would breach natural barriers preventing urban expansion
• Confirming that a site adjoining an urban area may form part of a wider area which is a Valued Landscape, even if the site itself it is not remarkable
• Confirming that Valued Landscape is relevant through the NPPF, even if not identified as such in the Local Plan and despite absence of a specific policy to protect Valued Landscapes

This case demonstrates that CPRE needs to fight to retain protection of the value of landscape in the new NPPF, as it was only the issues of landscape and visual impact which won the day in this case.

The result might have been different if Winchester City Council could not have shown a 5 year land supply on the tilted balance, but the Inspector attached significant weight to the very advanced emerging Local Plan which has finished Examination and is expected to be adopted in early 2026 which, with new allocations not including this site, will provide a 5 year supply.