37 Mile End Road, COLCHESTER, CO4 5BU

the demolition of existing buildings and creation of five apartments

Authority: Colchester Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Reed D

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the occupiers of No 41 Mile End Road in relation to privacy
whether the proposal would be likely to adversely affect the Essex Coast European Sites as a result of recreational disturbance
whether the proposal would provide any necessary supporting infrastructure for sport/recreation and community facilities
whether the proposal would provide acceptable living conditions for future occupiers of the apartments in relation to noise, disturbance and privacy arising from use of the car park

What decided it

The significant harm to character and appearance combined with unacceptable living conditions for both neighbouring and future occupiers outweighed the benefits of housing delivery in a sustainable location.

The benefits of five additional apartments in a sustainable location and contribution to local housing needs were insufficient to outweigh the significant harm to character and appearance and the unacceptable living conditions identified.

Framework references: 130

Plan policies cited: Policy DP1, Policy UR2

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.