2 Town Farm Cottages, Main Road, Woodham Ferrers, CHELMSFORD, CM3 8RE

a 5 bedroom low energy house with landscaping, 2 bay garage and driveway to Main Road

Authority: Chelmsford Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Pearce J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the site is an appropriate location for the proposed development having regard to the development strategy
the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the surrounding area

What decided it

The dwelling does not meet the requirement under Policy DM8 to be of exceptional quality or innovative nature, and would harm the character and appearance of the surrounding rural area.

The limited benefit of providing a single home and zero-carbon dwelling was demonstrably outweighed by the harm from the inappropriate location and harmful effect on character and appearance of the area.

Framework references: 80, 134

Plan policies cited: Policy S1, Policy S7, Policy S11, Policy DM8

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.