Ashfield Hall Farm Chester High Road, NESTON, CH64 3RY

the erection of two new dwellings and the erection of a building for residential use on agricultural land

Authority: Cheshire West and Chester
Appeal type: enforcement · Enforcement Notice
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Franks Z

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the development is inappropriate development in the Green Belt with regards to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
The effect on the openness of the Green Belt
Whether the location is suitable for a new building
The effect on character and appearance of the local area
The effect on biodiversity in relation to the lighting
Whether any harm, by reason of inappropriateness and any other harm, be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The removal of the portal frame barn structure and provision of a substantial wildlife landscaping scheme (65% biodiversity net gain uplift) combined with heritage and landscape benefits of retaining a similar dwelling structure within the historic farmstead grouping clearly outweighed the harm to Green Belt openness and policy conflicts, justifying very special circumstances for the two dwellinghouses.

Framework references: 11, 153, 154, 155

Plan policies cited: Policy DM19, Policy STRAT9, Policy STRAT1, Policy STRAT2, Policy STRAT8, Policy DM22, Policy DM3, Policy ENV6

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.

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