Homeacre, Windermere Road, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 3HX

proposed free standing gym with home office in roof space

Authority: Castle Point Borough Council
Appeal type: householder · Householder (HAS)
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Householder developments
Inspector: Jordan A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal is inappropriate development for the purposes of the National Planning Policy Framework
The effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt and the wooded character of the Great Burches Landscape Improvement Area
If the development is inappropriate, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development

What decided it

The proposal comprises inappropriate development in the Green Belt that would cause substantial harm to openness and character, with identified benefits insufficient to constitute very special circumstances.

Framework references: 89

Plan policies cited: EC20, EC22

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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