®Planning appeal decision
48 The Runway, Hatfield, Hertfordshire , AL10 9GL
for the change of use of use of a dwelling C3(a) to a children's home for a maximum of four children, with three carers, two carers of whom sleep overnight, working on a rota basis (C2)
- Authority
- Welwyn Hatfield Council
- Appeal type
- ldc · Lawful Development Certificate
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- community-institutional · Householder developments
- Inspector
- Shields T
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Appeal A: whether the Council's decision to refuse the application for a certificate of lawful use or development was well founded, turning on whether the proposed change of use from C3(a) to C2 would constitute a material change of use
- Appeal B: whether the site is a suitable location for a children's home with particular regard to the effect on character and appearance, highway safety, and living conditions of neighbouring occupiers in terms of noise and disturbance
What decided it
The proposed use would not result in a definable change in the character of the property compared to current residential use and would not constitute a material change of use, with off-site impacts controlled through OFSTED regulation and planning conditions.
Plan policies cited: LP Policies SADM9, LP Policy SP1, LP Policy SP7, LP Policy SP9, LP Policy SADM11, LP Policy SADM18, LP Policy SADM2, LP Policy SADM12
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.