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Dismissed10 July 20243327036

Glebelands, Potmans Lane, Catsfield, TN33 9BJ

Planning appeal 3327036 at Glebelands, Potmans Lane, Catsfield, TN33 9BJ (Rother District Council) was dismissed on 10 July 2024 by Inspector Cowley R, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether there is an essential need for a rural worker to live at or near their place of work in the countryside, with particular regard to: the functional needs of the business; the availability of other suitable existing accommodation in the area; the financial soundness of the unit and agricultural activity.

change of use (part retrospective) and extension of an existing agricultural building to a live/work residential unit in support of the farming and tourism business for a temporary period of 3 years

Authority
Rother District Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
residential · Other minor developments
Inspector
Cowley R
Postcode
TN33 9BJ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Whether there is an essential need for a rural worker to live at or near their place of work in the countryside, with particular regard to: the functional needs of the business; the availability of other suitable existing accommodation in the area; the financial soundness of the unit and agricultural activity
  • Whether the site represents an appropriate location for a dwelling having regard to the Council's spatial strategy and access to local services and facilities by public transport, walking and cycling
  • The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The appellant failed to demonstrate an essential functional and financial need for a rural worker's dwelling and the site was found to be an inappropriate, poorly accessible location for a dwelling, and this harm significantly and demonstrably outweighed the modest benefits.

The significant weight attributed to the harm and development plan conflict arising from the lack of essential need and the inappropriate location significantly and demonstrably outweighed the modest benefits (housing contribution, reuse of building, economic and energy efficiency benefits), so the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy RA3Policy RA3(iii)Policy RA3(iii)(a)(i)Policy RA3(iii)(a)(ii)Policy RA3(iii)(a)(iii)Policy RA3(iii)(a)(iv)Policy OSS1Policy OSS3Policy OSS4Policy PC1Policy SRM1Policy TR3Policy RA2Policy EN1Policy DEN1
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 8Paragraph 11Paragraph 80Paragraph 84Paragraph 88Paragraph 89Paragraph 109Paragraph 110Paragraph 180

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 Rother District Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2024

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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.

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.