Middleton Livery Yard, Old Road, Barlaston, Staffordshire, ST12 9EN

Erection of equine workers dwelling

Authority: Stafford Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor general industry/storage/warehousing
Inspector: Stephens K

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect on the openness of the Green Belt and purposes of including land within it
Whether there is an essential need for a rural worker to reside on site
If the proposed development constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt, would the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The failure to demonstrate an essential need for a rural worker to live permanently on site, combined with the substantial harm to Green Belt openness and conflict with the development plan's settlement hierarchy, meant the very special circumstances required to justify inappropriate Green Belt development did not exist.

Framework references: 137, 138, 148, 149, 150, 80, 84

Plan policies cited: Policy SP1, Policy SP3, Policy SP7, Policy C5, Policy E2

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.

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Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

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