26 Maypole Drive, CHIGWELL, IG7 6DE

conversion of the existing structure into a self-contained 1-person studio flat

Authority: Epping Forest District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Russell M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
whether acceptable living conditions would be provided for occupiers of the proposed studio flat with particular regard to internal space, parking provision and private outdoor space
the effect of the proposal on the Epping Forest Special Area for Conservation (SAC)

What decided it

The significant harm to the character and appearance of the area, resulting from the design and layout of the studio flat with its front wall close to the street disrupting the ordered and consistent pattern of surrounding residential development, outweighed the limited housing benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.

The limited but important contribution to housing delivery and modest sustainability credentials were outweighed by the significant harm to character and appearance and the uncertainty regarding effects on the Epping Forest SAC.

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: CP2, CP7, DBE1, DBE9, DBE8, CP1, CP6, NC1, DM9, DM10, DM22

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.

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