Howden Dene Garage, Pemberton Road, Consett, DH8 9BA

described on the application form as ‘erection of livestock building, retention of static caravan as site welfare facilities and storage container fo r ancillary storage

Authority: Durham County Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: agricultural · Change of use
Inspector: Coyne C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposed development having regard to its situation within the open countryside and its accessibility by sustainable modes of transport

What decided it

The proposal failed to meet Policy 10 requirements by not clearly demonstrating an essential and functional need for the location, lacking financial viability evidence, and being dependent on unsustainable transport modes in a countryside location without adequate public transport or safe active travel access.

Framework references: 84, 105

Plan policies cited: Policy 10, Policy 29, Policy 39

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.