Knightswood Centre, Steeple Road, SOUTHMINSTER, CM0 7BD

conversion of 2 existing buildings (previous use class C2) into 11 flats and 2 maisonettes and the construction of 3 new bungalows to the rear

Authority: Maldon District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Shearing C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the development proposed on the character and appearance of the area
the effects of the development proposed on local infrastructure

What decided it

The Council's lack of a five-year housing land supply (2.9 years) engaged the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11, and the significant benefits of housing delivery on a brownfield site in a reasonably sustainable location outweighed the significant harm to character and appearance from the bungalows.

The significant harm to character and appearance from the bungalows was outweighed by the significant benefits of housing delivery (including a mix of unit sizes meeting identified need), the reuse of a brownfield site, the reasonably sustainable location, and the Council's shortfall in housing land supply, applying the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11.

Framework references: 11, 57, 69, 111, 119, 130

Plan policies cited: Policy D1, Policy H4, Policy S8, Policy I1, Policy H1

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.