®Planning appeal decision
Land Opposite Blackberry House, Toot Hill Road, Ongar, CM5 9QP
a net zero carbon house of exceptional quality and design, with landscape and ecological site enhancements within the Green Belt
- Authority
- Epping Forest District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Morrison J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the appeal scheme would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt
- The effect of the appeal scheme on the openness of the Green Belt
- If the appeal scheme would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify it
What decided it
The substantial weight that must be given to harm to the Green Belt—comprising both inappropriateness and loss of openness—could not be clearly outweighed by the moderate weight afforded to environmental sustainability and biodiversity benefits.
The substantial harm to the Green Belt from inappropriateness and loss of openness was not clearly outweighed by the moderate weight given to environmental sustainability credentials, biodiversity net gain, and acceptable design, such that very special circumstances were not demonstrated
Framework references: 57, 149, 80, 11, 13
Plan policies cited: CP1, NC1, CP6, GB2A, GB7A, DBE2, DBE4, DBE9
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.