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Allowed13 December 20233323308

Land West of Barcombe Mills Road, Barcombe Cross, East Sussex

Planning appeal 3323308 at Land West of Barcombe Mills Road, Barcombe Cross, East Sussex (Lewes District Council) was allowed on 13 December 2023 by Inspector Parsons J, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The main issues are whether the site is an acceptable location for housing, having regard to the effect of the proposal on (a) the character and appearance of the area (b) the setting of a Grade II listed building, known as Mongers Farmhouse, a non designated heritage asset (NDHA) known as The Barn, and the Barcombe Cross Conservation Area, and (c) the best and most versatile (BMV) agricultural land.

Outline application with all matters reserved except access for the erection of up to 70 dwellings (including 40% affordable dwellings), public open space, landscaping, and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and vehicular access point. All matters reserved except for access

Authority
Lewes District Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
residential · Major dwellings
Inspector
Parsons J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • The main issues are whether the site is an acceptable location for housing, having regard to the effect of the proposal on (a) the character and appearance of the area (b) the setting of a Grade II listed building, known as Mongers Farmhouse, a non designated heritage asset (NDHA) known as The Barn, and the Barcombe Cross Conservation Area, and (c) the best and most versatile (BMV) agricultural land.

What decided it

The severe shortfall in the District's five-year housing land supply meant the substantial housing and affordable housing benefits, together with other public benefits, outweighed the identified heritage, character and agricultural land harms under the tilted balance.

The substantial benefits of boosting housing supply and delivering affordable housing, together with significant economic, social and environmental benefits, outweighed the less than substantial harm to designated heritage assets, moderate harm to the NDHA, small localised character harm, and harm from loss of BMV agricultural land, such that the adverse effects did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Spatial Policy 1Spatial Policy 2Policy DM1Core Policy 10Core Policy 11Policy DM25Policy DM27Policy DM33Policy DM19Core Policy 1Policy DM26Core Policy 8Policy DM14Policy DM15Policy DM16Core Policy 7Core Policy 13
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 56Paragraph 60Paragraph 68Paragraph 174Paragraph 202

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.

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The decision letter

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More decisions in Lewes District Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2023

  1. Allowed6 October 20266005671
    Land South of Green Road, Wivelsfield Green, RH17 7QL
  2. Allowed9 April 20263373143
    The Old Mill Bungalow Barcombe Mills, Barcombe, Lewes, BN8 5BS
  3. Allowed8 December 20253373314
    49 Station Road, Newhaven, BN9 0NN
  4. Dismissed24 October 20253365121
    Clayhill Woods, Isfield Road, Ringmer, East Sussex, BN8 5RP
  5. Dismissed24 October 20253365120
    Clayhill Woods, Isfield Road, Ringmer, East Sussex, BN8 5RP

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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.