®Planning appeal decision
Little Wold and land to the rear (south), Station Road, Groombridge, TN3 9NE
erection of 21no. residential dwellings and demolition of stable, demolition of existing dwelling and ancillary structures for the creation of new access road, internal roads, car parking, landscaping, drainage, public open space, junior sports pitch, ancillary structures, and associated works
- Authority
- Wealden District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Shearing C
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including the National Landscape of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
What decided it
The significant and long-lasting harm to the landscape character and scenic beauty of the High Weald AONB, to which the Framework gives the highest status of protection, outweighed the moderate benefits of housing delivery and the significant benefit of the proposed sports pitch.
The benefits of housing delivery (moderate weight), affordable housing provision, biodiversity enhancements, and a junior sports pitch (significant weight) were outweighed by the substantial weight afforded to the significant and long-lasting harm to the landscape character of the AONB, which conflicts with both local and national policy.
Framework references: 11, 95
Plan policies cited: Policy EN1, Policy EN6, Policy EN27, Policy GD2, Policy DC17, Spatial Planning Objective SPO1, CS Policy WCS14
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.