The Gnomes, 91 Main Road, St Lawrence, Southminster, Essex, CM0 7NA

the demolition of existing chalet and garage and the erection of 3 dwellings, detached garages with associated parking and landscaping

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

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
Whether the proposed development would provide a suitable housing mix
The effects of the proposed development on the Essex Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Blackwater Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site, Dengie SPA and Ramsar site, and Crouch and Roach Estuaries SPA and Ramsar site

What decided it

Appeal A accords with the development plan and would not harm character and appearance, whereas Appeal B would harm character and appearance in conflict with the development plan with no material considerations of sufficient weight to outweigh this conflict.

For Appeal B: the significant harm to character and appearance outweighed the modest social, environmental and economic benefits of housing delivery, construction jobs, local economic support and biodiversity net gain, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.

Framework references: 8, 130, 219

Plan policies cited: Policy D1, Policy H4, Policy H2

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.