Why three triple turrets suited the Crown Colony design

Were three triple turrets a sensible layout for the Crown Colony class?

Yes. Three triples were a proven nine-gun arrangement, though four triples would have been preferable without the design's size and weight limits.

Three triple turrets were a sensible Crown Colony solution once the design had to save weight and size. Three triples had become a common cruiser arrangement and provided nine guns without the machinery and protected volume of a fourth mount. Four triple turrets would have been preferable if the design did not need those economies. Turret count was therefore a displacement choice rather than proof that nine guns were tactically ideal in every circumstance.