®Planning appeal decision
Stapleford Abbotts Golf Club, Tysea Hill, Stapleford Abbotts, ROMFORD, RM4 1JU
demolition of existing building and erection of 40 mobile homes in the southwest corner of the golf course to work as ancillary leisure structures for the club
- Authority
- Epping Forest District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- leisure-sport · Other Major Developments
- Inspector
- Wallis D
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposal is inappropriate development for the purposes of development plan policy and the National Planning Policy Framework
- whether the proposal is in an accessible location
- the effect of the development upon the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the development upon highway safety
- whether the proposal provides suitable means for the disposal of surface water run-off
- if the development is inappropriate, whether the harm by reason on inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to very special circumstances necessary to justify the development
- the effect of the development upon the Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
What decided it
The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt causing significant harm to openness, and the economic benefits do not amount to very special circumstances to justify this harm.
The economic benefits to the golf club and wider rural economy were outweighed by the substantive harm to the openness of the Green Belt and the other identified harms to highway safety, character and appearance, and drainage.
Framework references: 149
Plan policies cited: GB2a, GB7a, SP6, DM4, CP1, CP6, CP9, SP1, E4, T1, LL1, LL2, LL10, SP7, DM3, ST4, ST6, U3B, DM16, DM2, DM22
Judgments cited: Court of Justice of the European Union 2018
The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.