Land adjacent to Mulletts Barn, Willisham Road, Barking, Suffolk, IP6 8HY

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposal with particular reference to development plan policies concerned with housing in rural areas and the accessibility of services and facilities
• whether acceptable living conditions could be provided for future occupiers of the proposed dwellings, with regard to odour and pests
• the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the countryside, including the Special Landscape Area within which it is situated and the setting of the listed building, Mulletts Farmhouse
• whether acceptable living conditions could be provided for future occupiers of the proposed dwellings, with regard to noise and disturbance

What decided it

The adverse impacts of poor accessibility to services and facilities and potential harm to living conditions from odour and pests significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits under the tilted balance test.

The adverse impacts regarding accessibility to services and facilities and potential disturbance from odour and pests significantly and demonstrably outweighed the limited social and economic benefits of three new dwellings and environmental benefits, when assessed against the policies in the Framework taken as a whole.