Response to Neighbourhood Plan Questions

The Inspector asked:

Policy HG2 limits housing outside the Settlement Boundary to "small scale" developments of less than units. What is the justification for the choice of less than 6 units? For example, why not less than 5, or less than 7 units?

The Steering Team response was;

Policy HG defines small-scale housing developments outside the settlement boundary as fewer than six units for the following reasons.
First, we were strongly advised by both Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) and Cheshire Community Action that we would never be able to justify or defend a policy of no development at all. Fewer than six was based on the local reaction to planning applications, remembering that we had put local views at the heart of our thinking.
Whilst the Plan was in preparation, two developments, one at Abbeyfield on Holme Street and the other at Oscroft Farm, Oscroft, came forward and were non-controversial, both of these being for fewer than six dwellings.
Conversely, two larger developments in Tarvin – one on land owned by Church Farm and the other on land between Crossfields and the A54 – were bitterly contested.
Since the Plan was completed, a further development proposal to convert barns into 15 dwellings at The Moss, Ryecroft Lane was contested by the Parish Council as being an over-intensive use of the site and not in line with Local Plan policy. Although this latter example is outside the Plan area but within the Parish area, it seems that the Steering Group has pitched the definition in the Plan at an acceptable level.