Linda House, Little London Road, Horam, TN21 0BL

demolition of the existing house and outbuildings, erection of 34 dwellings, access and internal roads, parking, ancillary structures, landscaping, drainage and other associated works

Authority: Wealden District Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Clegg R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, including the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Whether the appeal site is a sustainable location for the residential development proposed.
The effect of other considerations, including housing land supply, on the overall planning balance.

What decided it

The significant harm the proposal would cause to the High Weald AONB provided a clear reason for refusal under paragraph 11(d)(i) of the NPPF, preventing the tilted balance from applying and outweighing the benefits of the scheme.

The significant weight given to housing delivery, affordable housing, sustainability and other benefits was outweighed by the considerable weight given to the significant harm to the character and appearance of the area and the High Weald AONB, resulting in dismissal.

Framework references: 11, 176, 177

Plan policies cited: Policy DC17, Policy WCS6, Policy EN6, Policy EN27, Policy EN13, Policy EN14, Policy CS2, Policy AFH1, Policy WCS7, Policy WCS12

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.