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Planning appeal decision

Notice varied and upheld14 July 20253328103

Hares Farm, Pickaxe Lane, South Warnborough, Hook, RG29 1SD

Planning appeal 3328103 at Hares Farm, Pickaxe Lane, South Warnborough, Hook, RG29 1SD (Hart District Council) was allowed in part (a split decision) on 14 July 2025 by Inspector Higenbottam H, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the mixed use is appropriate in this countryside location and the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area.

‘Without planning permission, the material change of use of the land from an agricultural use to a mixed use comprising agricultural use, residential use, use of the land to run a catering business, the storage of a food trailer and use of the land for camping, with the uses facilitated by the stationing of a twin unit caravan, the formation of an access and hard surfaced area for parking, external lighting, engineering operations (altering land levels) to facilitate the installation of the twin unit caravan, yurts, a timber veranda, raised decking, outdoor kitchen/dining area, pizza oven, planters, outside toilet, shipping containers, timber storage shed, pig housing and shelters, telegraph pole, foul water drainage system including septic tank, electricity and water supply.’

Authority
Hart District Council
Appeal type
enforcement · Enforcement Notice
Procedure
Hearing
Development
agricultural · Change of use
Inspector
Higenbottam H
Postcode
RG29 1SD

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • whether the mixed use is appropriate in this countryside location and the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area
  • whether or not there is an essential need for a temporary mobile home for residential use to accommodate a rural worker
  • the effect of the development on highway safety, particularly in relation to increased traffic generation

What decided it

The lack of a clearly demonstrated functional need for a rural worker's dwelling, combined with the absence of any justification for siting the catering/storage uses in this countryside location, meant the mixed use conflicted with the development plan as a whole.

The harm to rural character from the unjustified countryside siting of the mixed use and the unproven need for a rural worker's dwelling outweighed the absence of demonstrated highway harm, resulting in overall conflict with the development plan and dismissal of the ground (a) appeal.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
LP Policy NBE1LP Policy NBE2SLP Policy GEN1
Judgments
Murfitt v Secretary of State for the Environment (1980) 40 P and CR 254; Bowring v SSCLG [2013] EWHC 1115(Admin)

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.

See how each was applied

The decision letter

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8 other decided appeals within two kilometres of this site. In the app every dot opens its decision, and its letter wherever one was published, and you can draw your own site to see what has been decided around it.AllowedDismissedSplitThis decision
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More decisions in Hart

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025

  1. Notice upheld29 September 20253343856
    159 Aldershot Road, Church Crookham, Fleet, GU52 8JS
  2. Dismissed24 September 20253340101
    Chestnut House Redlands Lane, Crondall, Farnham, GU10 5RF
  3. Notice varied and upheld17 April 20253343755
    Land North of Winchfield Court, Pale Lane, Winchfield, Hook, RG27 8SP
  4. Notice varied and upheld20 February 20253329483
    Granary Court, Alton Road, South Warnborough, RG29 1RZ
  5. Planning permission granted10 September 20243340605
    Church Farm West, Bramshill Road, Hook, RG27 0PS

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.