Lovely Cottage, Toppesfield Road, Finchingfield, CM7 4NZ

described in the application form as a “proposed bungalow on site that used to contain a similar bungalow

Authority: Braintree District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Shrimplin R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the surroundings
Whether the site is a suitable location for a dwelling, with adequate accessibility to services, having regard to the previous use of the land

What decided it

The very obvious harm to the character and appearance of the countryside significantly and demonstrably outweighs the limited benefits of providing one additional dwelling in an unsustainable location.

Framework references: 12

Plan policies cited: CS5, CS8, CS7, RLP2, RLP3

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.

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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.
Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.
The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.

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In the app this decision sits on the map beside every other appeal around it, with the full reasoning summary, the letter held on file, and the case law it applies.