Fairview Birds Drove, Surfleet, SPALDING, PE11 4BE

demolition of agricultural building and erection of new dwelling (retrospective)

Authority: South Holland District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Lee S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the development is in a suitable location for residential development, having regard to local planning policies on development in the countryside
the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The development fails to meet the sustainable development needs required by Policy 1 for countryside development and would cause unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the area contrary to Policies 2 and 3.

The limited social, economic and environmental benefits of a single dwelling on a previously developed site and contribution to housing supply were outweighed by the conflict with the development plan policies restricting countryside development and requiring high-quality design sympathetic to local character.

Framework references: 79, 80

Plan policies cited: Policy 1, Policy 23, Policy 2, Policy 3

Judgments cited: Braintree DC v SSCLG, Greyread Ltd & Granville Developments Ltd [2017] EWHC 2743 (Admin); [2018] EWCA Civ 610

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.