Maple Lodge, , Gislingham Road, Finningham, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 4HZ

the ‘demolition of existing buildings and erection of three new dwellings and garages

Authority: Mid Suffolk District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Smith J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the appeal site is a suitable location for housing having regard to: the effect of the proposed development on the rural economy, whether it would be consistent with the Council's spatial strategy, and the accessibility of the site to services and facilities

What decided it

The proposal's conflict with the development plan's spatial strategy (Policy SP03) and its failure to satisfy Policy LP10's requirement to test alternative employment uses before redevelopment for housing.

The modest contribution to housing supply and potential visual enhancement from redevelopment did not outweigh the harm to the rural economy and conflict with the Council's spatial strategy, particularly given the Council's strong 10.88 year housing land supply.

Framework references: 84, 85, 79, 80, 11

Plan policies cited: Policy LP10, Policy SP03, Policy LP01, Policy CS1

Judgments cited: Braintree DC v SSCLG, Greyread Ltd & Granville Developments Ltd [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.