Land to the Rear of Brookfield, 105 High Street, Sharnbrook, Bedford, MK44 1PE

Planning appeal 3286097 at Land to the Rear of Brookfield, 105 High Street, Sharnbrook, Bedford, MK44 1PE (Bedford Borough Council) was dismissed on 11 September 2023 by Inspector Simpson L, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Appeal A: whether the proposed development would comprise a conversion; the effect on highway safety; the effect with regard to flood risk; whether the location or siting makes it impractical or undesirable for the building to change to Class C3 use, with particular regard to waste/recycling collection and access for fire services.

change of use from an Agricultural building to a dwellinghouse(s) (Use Class C3) including associated building operations reasonably necessary to convert the building

Authority: Bedford Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Simpson L
Postcode: MK44 1PE

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Appeal A: whether the proposed development would comprise a conversion; the effect on highway safety; the effect with regard to flood risk; whether the location or siting makes it impractical or undesirable for the building to change to Class C3 use, with particular regard to waste/recycling collection and access for fire services
Appeal B and C: whether the principle of a dwelling on the appeal site is acceptable with regard to the development plan strategy for residential development location; the effect on character and appearance; the effect on flood risk; whether adequate provision is made for waste collection; whether adequate provision is made for fire brigade access

What decided it

For Appeal A: the proposal comprises a genuine conversion of an existing building capable of conversion with only minor works required. For Appeal B: the proposed detached garage would be a prominent urbanising feature harmful to rural character, and insufficient evidence on surface water drainage was provided. For Appeal C: the fallback position of three dwellings under Appeal A is a material consideration of significant weight that outweighs the conflict with development plan policies, as one dwelling would be materially less harmful than three.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy 7SPolicy 3SPolicy 4SPolicy 28SPolicy 29Policy 30Policy 31Policy 32Policy 52Policy 54Policy 92Policy 94Sharnbrook Neighbourhood Plan Policy S1Sharnbrook Neighbourhood Plan Policy S3
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 111Paragraph 130Paragraph 162Paragraph 167Paragraph 168

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.