Fiddlers Lane, Saughall, Chester, CH1 6DH

without planning permission change of use from agriculture to dog walking and dog training including laying hardstanding and artificial grass, erection of a timber enclosure and siting of a caravan (“the unauthorised development”)

Authority: Cheshire West and Chester
Appeal type: enforcement · Enforcement Notice
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector: McGlone A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal is inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the development plan and the National Planning Policy Framework
The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
The effect of the access arrangements on highway safety on Fiddlers Lane
If the proposal is inappropriate development, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development

What decided it

The proposal is inappropriate development in the Green Belt causing substantial harm to openness and character, and the other considerations including dog welfare benefits do not clearly outweigh this harm to constitute very special circumstances.

Framework references: 149, 150

Plan policies cited: Policy STRAT9, Policy STRAT10, Policy ENV6, Policy DM3, Policy T5

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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What an account adds

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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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