The Borough Council's adopted Supplementary Planning Guidance on Backland & Tandem Development recommends a minimum distance of 10.5m from a principal elevation with main windows to any other adjacent garden area bordering onto the new development. The distance between two proposed first-floor rear bedroom windows in the dwelling and the garden area of No.37 Latimer Road, Cropston, would be 6.3 metres, which fails to comply with this recommendation. It is, therefore, considered that this would result in an unacceptable loss of privacy to the rear garden area of the adjoining dwelling and, as such, would be contrary to the adopted Supplementary Planning Guidance on Backland and Tandem Development 2001 and to Policy CS 2 of the Charnwood Local Plan Core Strategy 2011-2028 and Policy EV/1 of the Borough of Charnwood Local Plan 1991 to 2006.

The proposal located in Cropston is considered not to comprise sustainable development sited as it would be in a settlement with only limited services and facilities and with a limited service by public transport to access key services in other settlements. As such, the occupants of the proposed dwelling would have to rely heavily on the use of the private car to access these services and facilities. Policy CS 1 of the adopted Charnwood Local plan 2011 to 2028 Core Strategy relates to the hierarchy of sustainability of settlements in the Borough as locations for new development. Cropston is identified as one of the smallest of settlements and in such locations it seeks to respond positively to developments where there is a specific local or social need that has been identified locally. Such a need has not been demonstrated and therefore the Council’s strategy for the countryside should apply. The development would offer no identifiable or quantifiable benefits in terms of the vitality or viability of the village community that would outweigh the harm to the wider policy intentions of the development plan, including the modest contribution to the provision of new housing land. Furthermore, it is established planning policy, at both national and local level, that new development should be permitted outside established settlements in exceptional circumstances only. These circumstances normally relate to an agricultural, horticultural or forestry need and there are no exceptional circumstances provided in this case to justify over-riding the Council’s normal countryside planning policies. Accordingly, it is considered that the proposal would be contrary to Policies CS 1, CS 11 and CS 25 of the Charnwood Local Plan Core Strategy 2011-2028 and to Policy CT/1 of the adopted Borough of Charnwood Local Plan, which promote sustainable development and the establishment of a sustainable pattern of new housing development in the Borough.