®Planning appeal decision
Land at Old Pumping Station, Fambridge Road, South Fambridge, Rochford, Essex, SS4 3LT
Planning appeal 3294077 at Land at Old Pumping Station, Fambridge Road, South Fambridge, Rochford, Essex, SS4 3LT (Rochford District Council) was allowed on 11 April 2023 by Inspector King T, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the dwelling constitutes inappropriate development within the Green Belt for the purposes of the National Planning Policy Framework.
The material change of use of a former pumping station building for residential purposes, and the erection of a building (known as a butler bin) to provide shower, w.c and storage to facilitate the site's residential use
- Authority
- Rochford District Council
- Appeal type
- enforcement · Enforcement Notice
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- King T
- Postcode
- SS4 3LT
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the dwelling constitutes inappropriate development within the Green Belt for the purposes of the National Planning Policy Framework
- If it is inappropriate development, the effect on the Green Belt's openness
- Whether there is any other resultant harm, with particular regard to the site's location within the designated Coastal Protection Belt, and given that the land also falls within Flood Risk Zone 3
- if it is inappropriate development, 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 appellants' personal circumstances (elderly age, sole residence, hardship of displacement) combined with the temporary, conditioned nature of the permission were found to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to outweigh the Green Belt harm.
the limited harm to the Green Belt's openness by reason of inappropriateness was clearly outweighed by the substantial weight given to the appellants' personal circumstances and the temporary nature of the permission, amounting to very special circumstances justifying the development
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- GB1GB2DM12DM10DM1DM26ENV2ENV3
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 147Paragraph 148Paragraph 149Paragraph 150
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
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What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.