Grimshill Farm House, Southend Road, BILLERICAY, CM11 2PP

development of 4 affordable chalet bungalows

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

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposed development upon designated Habitats sites
whether or not the proposed development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt and the effect upon the openness of the Green Belt
the effect of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the area
the effect of the proposed development upon the setting and significance of Grimshill Farmhouse as a Grade II listed building

What decided it

The proposed development would adversely affect the integrity of the Blackwater Estuary SPA because the planning obligation did not secure mitigation measures before occupation of the first dwellings, and Regulation 63(5) of the Habitats Regulations precludes the proposal from proceeding.

The public benefits of four affordable homes and contribution to housing supply (of high order given acute housing need and 1.85-year land supply) and less-than-substantial heritage harm would be outweighed by the substantial weight of the adverse effects on the SPA integrity and harm to character and appearance; the tilted balance did not apply due to the designated Habitats site protection.

Framework references: 11, 57, 135, 142, 152, 154, 186, 205, 206, 208

Plan policies cited: Policy GB1, Policy BAS BE12

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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