®Planning appeal decision
The Old Chicken Barn, Hoads Farm, Moat Lane, Sedlescombe, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0RY
described in the application form as: To replace chicken barn with 1 detached house on same footprint and raising to accommodate a second floor, however lowering the pitch of the roof to keep the new height to a minimum. Please also see planning statement
- Authority
- Rother District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Douglas L
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the appeal site is an appropriate location for a dwelling, with particular regard to the use of the existing building and local and national policies
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
What decided it
The proposal would cause significant and long-lasting harm to the character and appearance of the AONB by introducing a substantial residential building that would appear as an odd and uncharacteristic feature in the landscape, and this harm is protected by NPPF paragraph 176 which provides a clear reason for refusal notwithstanding the absence of a 5-year housing land supply.
The substantial harm to the character and appearance of the AONB and conflict with the development plan's strategic approach to managing countryside development outweighed the modest benefits of providing accessible housing, self-build potential, energy efficiency standards and possible biodiversity gains.
Framework references: 11, 56, 176
Plan policies cited: Policy EC3 of the Rother Local Plan Core Strategy (2014), Policy RA2 of the Core Strategy, Policy RA3 of the Core Strategy, Policy DEC3 of the Local Plan, Policy DCO1 of the Local Plan, Policy OSS3 of the Core Strategy, Policy OSS4 of the Core Strategy, Policy EN3 of the Core Strategy, Policy DEN1 of the Local Plan, Policy DEN2 of the Local Plan, Policy DHG6 of the Local Plan
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.