The Briars, Church Lane, Laughton, East Sussex , BN8 6AH

for the stationing of a Shepherds Hut for use as holiday accommodation and retention of existing hardstanding

Authority: Wealden District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector: Ellis G

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including the Low Weald
The setting of a nearby listed building, Coopers

What decided it

The proposal would be substantially harmful to the character and appearance of the Low Weald countryside through the domestication of the site, visual incongruity of the parking and use, and associated activities, and would not represent sustainable rural tourism as promoted in the Framework and local plan policies.

Framework references: 84, 56, 176

Plan policies cited: Policy GD2, Policy EN8, Policy EN27, Policy TM1, Policy TM8, Core Strategy SP01, Core Strategy SP13

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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.
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