Land at Nolands Farm, Station Road, Plumpton Green, BN7 3BT

Authority: Lewes District Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Inquiry
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Gilbert-Wooldridge T

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area including the surrounding countryside
the overall planning balance having regard to the development plan and national planning policy

What decided it

The lack of a five-year housing land supply engaged the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11(d), and the significant benefits of housing delivery (including affordable housing) were found not to be significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the identified harms.

The significant weight afforded to housing delivery, affordable housing and economic benefits outweighed the moderate to significant harm to character and appearance and the conflict with the development plan, such that the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits under NPPF paragraph 11(d).

Framework references: 8, 11, 57, 81, 174, 200, 202

Plan policies cited: Policy CP10, Policy DM25, Policy DM1, NP Policy 1, NP Policy 5, Policy SP2, Policy CP1, Policy DM26, Policy CP7, Policy CP9, Policy CP13, Policy DM35, Policy CP8, Policy DM14, Policy DM15, Policy DM27

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.

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.