Land adjacent 5 Grange Road, Wickham Bishops, WITHAM, CM8 3LT

one self-build custom designed dwelling

Authority: Maldon District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Harding C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the appeal site is an appropriate location for the proposed development having regard to the spatial strategy of the development plan
whether future occupiers of the proposal would be able to access services and facilities by means of sustainable travel
the effect of the development upon the character and appearance of the area
the effect of the proposal upon European Protected Sites

What decided it

The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply engaged the presumption in favour of sustainable development, which tilted the balance in favour of the proposal despite its conflict with the development plan's spatial strategy.

The harm from conflict with the Council's spatial strategy, afforded limited weight due to the five-year housing land supply shortfall, was outweighed by the moderate benefit of housing supply contribution and modest economic benefits, engaging the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Framework references: 11, 54, 56

Plan policies cited: Policy S8, Policy S1, Policy H4, Policy T2, Policy D1, Policy I1, Policy N1, Policy N2, Policy WBen03

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.