®Planning appeal decision
Battle Golf Clubhouse, Netherfield Hill, Netherfield, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0LH
Planning appeal 3318158 at Battle Golf Clubhouse, Netherfield Hill, Netherfield, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0LH (Rother District Council) was allowed on 30 October 2023 by Inspector Carpenter C, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would result in the unacceptable loss of an employment use.
change of use of redundant golf clubhouse, together with minor extensions, to form a single residential dwelling, including parking and as sociated landscape works (to include biodiversity improvements and woodland restoration)
- Authority
- Rother District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Carpenter C
- Postcode
- TN33 0LH
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would result in the unacceptable loss of an employment use
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the existing building and the landscape and scenic beauty of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (HW AONB)
- Whether the proposal would be in a suitable location in respect to adjacent settlements, local services and facilities
What decided it
The great weight attributed to the landscape and biodiversity improvements to the High Weald AONB, combined with the moderate weight of reduced travel generation compared to the former golf club use, outweighed the moderate harm from loss of employment use when assessed against the Framework as a whole under the tilted balance, given the Council's significant housing land supply shortfall.
The moderate harm from unacceptable loss of employment use was outweighed by the collective benefits of the proposal: great weight to landscape and biodiversity enhancements to the AONB, moderate weight to overall reduction in travel compared to the former golf club, and limited weight to social and economic benefits, assessed under Framework paragraph 11(d)(ii) tilted balance.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DEC3Policy DCO1Policy OSS4Policy EN1Policy EN3Policy DEN1Policy DEN2Policy OSS2Policy OSS3Policy DIM2Policy RA3Policy TR3Policy SRM2Policy DRM1Policy T3Policy DHG4
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 176Paragraph 80Paragraph 105Paragraph 8Paragraph 11
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
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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.