land at Southlands , Crays Hill , Essex CM11 2XB, CM11 2XB

the erection of a three-bedroomed chalet bungalow

Authority: Basildon District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Hughes L

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework (2023) and any relevant development plan policies
the effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development

What decided it

The proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt with harmful effects on openness, and no very special circumstances have been demonstrated to outweigh this harm.

The harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and reduction in openness was not clearly outweighed by the very small benefits of a single dwelling's contribution to housing supply and minor social and economic benefits.

Framework references: 11, 137, 138, 147, 149

Plan policies cited: Policy BAS GB1

Judgments cited: Vision Engineering

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.

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