Land south of Braintree Riad, Braintree, Essex, CM6 3AT

outline planning consent (all matters reserved except for access) for the construction of 20 no. dwellings alongside associated parking, access and landscaping works

Authority: Uttlesford District Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Dyer I

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area
The effect of the proposal on the significance of Nutshell Walnut Tree Cottages and Ford Cottages, which each form a Grade II Listed Building (the LBs)

What decided it

The significant harm to the character and appearance of the countryside site, when added to the heritage harm, was found to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the public benefits of the scheme.

the public benefits of the scheme slightly outweighed the less than substantial heritage harm in isolation, but when combined with the significant harm to the character and appearance of the countryside, the overall adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits

Framework references: 208, 70, 11, 180

Plan policies cited: Policy S7, Policy DS1, Policy ENV2

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.