Planning appeal decision
Colemans Farm, Toot Hill Road, Ongar, Essex, CM5 9QN
Planning appeal 3310295 at Colemans Farm, Toot Hill Road, Ongar, Essex, CM5 9QN (Epping Forest District Council) was allowed on 27 November 2023 by Inspector Allen K, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether amending condition 2 would affect whether the development is inappropriate development in the Green Belt in respect of local and national policy.
the demolition of agricultural buildings, construction of two detached houses, extension to dairy cottage garden, provision of boundary treatment and hard and soft landscaping without complying with a condition attached to planning permission Ref EPF/3065/18, dated 14 January 2019
- Authority
- Epping Forest District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Allen K
- Postcode
- CM5 9QN
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether amending condition 2 would affect whether the development is inappropriate development in the Green Belt in respect of local and national policy
- The effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
- The effect of the proposal on the Grade II listed Colemans Farmhouse
- If it 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 positive effect on the setting of the Grade II listed Colemans Farmhouse, combined with the fallback positions of extant permissions for similar houses, clearly outweighs the harm by reason of inappropriateness and constitutes very special circumstances.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DM4Policy DM7
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision


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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.
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