Searches Farm, Searches Lane, Bedmond, St Albans, WD5 0SB

Planning appeal 3271330 at Searches Farm, Searches Lane, Bedmond, St Albans, WD5 0SB (St Albans City Council) was dismissed on 29 March 2022 by Inspector Savage K, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal amounts to inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

erection of an agricultural building

Authority: St Albans City Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: agricultural · Minor general industry/storage/warehousing
Inspector: Savage K
Postcode: WD5 0SB

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal amounts to inappropriate development in the Green Belt
The effect on the openness of the Green Belt
The effect on the heritage significance of nearby listed buildings, through effect on their settings
If the development is inappropriate, whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify it

What decided it

The building is in commercial use with no substantive evidence of agricultural use or genuine intention to use it for agriculture, constituting inappropriate development in the Green Belt that causes significant harm to openness and heritage settings which cannot be outweighed by the speculative and uncertain benefits of a proposed egg production enterprise.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy 1Policy 86
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 149Paragraph 150Paragraph 213Paragraph 11Paragraph 202

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

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The decision letter

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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.