Land to the north of School Road, Ringsfield, NR34 8NZ

Erection of up to 33 dwellings, open space, landscaping, visitor car park and site access from School Road

Authority: East Suffolk
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Simpson L

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the appeal site is capable of accommodating the quantum of development proposed and in particular, its resultant effect on the character and appearance of the surrounding area
The effect of the proposed development on the integrity of European Sites

What decided it

The proposed development complies with the development plan taken as a whole, particularly the allocation and requirements of Policy WLP 7.14, and the necessary mitigation for European Sites effects is properly secured through the s.106 agreement.

The significant social and economic benefits of providing 33 dwellings (30% affordable) and boosting housing supply, consistent with the Framework's emphasis, outweighed any concerns about character and appearance, which could be adequately addressed through reserved matters and conditions.

Framework references: 11, 57, 126, 130, 134

Plan policies cited: Policy WLP 7.14, Policy WLP 8.2, Policy WLP 8.3, Policy WLP 8.30, Policy WLP 8.31, Policy WLP 8.7

Judgments cited: Bernard Wheatcroft Ltd v SSE [JPL 1982 P37]; R (Harvey) v Mendip District Council [2017] EWCA Civ 1784

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.