Gove to look again at Berkeley scheme

The housing secretary is rethinking his decision to block a housing development because the planned homes were of a “generic suburban nature”. The u-turn concerns Berkeley Group’s 165-home development planned for the Crane Valley, an area of outstanding natural beauty about 12 miles east of Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Berkeley Homes had said it intended to challenge his decision in court after Michael Gove said Berkeley’s plans for the homes did not “reflect the expectations” of the local design code. It is understood that Gove will ask the court to quash his original decision on the grounds that some of the figures used about housing supply in the area were out of date. Then he will make a final decision. The planning application was called in by Robert Jenrick, Gove’s predecessor as housing secretary, in April 2021. An inspector’s report recommended the application be approved. However, Gove decided to refuse permission. A letter dated 6 April he detailed his thinking, saying that “the harm to the landscape and scenic beauty” attracted great weight. The Times (£)