Planning appeal decision
The Granary, Lower Hill Farm Watermill Lane, Bexhill-on-Sea, TN39 5JB
Planning appeal 3321721 at The Granary, Lower Hill Farm Watermill Lane, Bexhill-on-Sea, TN39 5JB (Rother District Council) was dismissed on 15 February 2024 by Inspector Wyborn D, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether or not the development plan would support the proposal in this location.
the conversion of an agricultural and commercial storage building to create a detached dwelling with car parking provision (resubmission of RR/2021/2074/P)
- Authority
- Rother District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Wyborn D
- Postcode
- TN39 5JB
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether or not the development plan would support the proposal in this location
- whether or not the proposed dwelling would be located so that occupants could access services and facilities by a range of transport modes
- the effect of the development on ancient woodland
- whether or not the proposed dwelling would provide future occupants with acceptable living conditions, having particular regard to outdoor amenity space
What decided it
The combined substantial weight of the conflicts with development plan policies on location and accessibility, together with the failure to provide acceptable living conditions through inadequate outdoor amenity space, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the moderate benefits of housing delivery in an area with housing supply shortfall.
The substantial harms from location outside settlement boundaries, poor accessibility to services and facilities by sustainable transport modes, and inadequate outdoor amenity space were afforded substantial weight against the scheme, which significantly and demonstrably outweighed the moderate benefits of housing delivery, reuse of previously developed land, and sustainability measures, resulting in the proposal not constituting sustainable development.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy OSS2Policy OSS3Policy OSS4Policy RA1Policy RA3Policy PC1Policy SRM1Policy TR3Policy DIM2Policy DHG7Policy DEN4Policy EN1Policy EN5Policy CS1
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 11dParagraph 11diParagraph 84
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.
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