Mudds Bank Stud Farm, City Road, Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, HP14 3EW

rural worker’s dwelling for a temporary period of 3 years

Authority: Buckinghamshire Council - Wycombe Area *
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Sturgess M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) and any relevant policies of the development plan
whether there are any other considerations that could amount to very special circumstances which mean the proposal should be approved, including whether there is an essential need for a rural worker to live full time on the site having regard to the Framework and the policies of the development plan
the effect of the proposal on the landscape and scenic quality of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

What decided it

The appellant failed to demonstrate an essential need for a rural worker to live permanently on site or the financial viability of the enterprise, so the other considerations did not amount to very special circumstances outweighing the substantial harm to the Green Belt.

The substantial harm to the Green Belt and conflict with the development plan were not clearly outweighed by the limited weight given to the appellant's evidence of essential need and enterprise viability, so the balance tipped against the proposal.

Framework references: 145 to 151, 80, 76

Plan policies cited: DM27, DM42, CP8, CP3, DM24

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.

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