Springwell Nursery & Garden Centre, Walden Road, Little Chesterford, Saffron Walden, CB10 1UE

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the site represents an appropriate location for housing, having particular regard to access to facilities and services
• the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
• the effect of the development on the setting of nearby listed buildings
• whether the development would result in the loss of an employment site and viability
• the effect of the development on flooding
• having considered all the above matters, whether the totality of the scheme and any other material considerations warrants a decision other than in accordance with the development plan

What decided it

The identified less than substantial harm to the setting of the three Grade II listed buildings, which engages paragraph 11(d) of the Framework and displaces the presumption in favour of development, combined with the harm to rural character and the unsustainable location, outweighs the modest benefits of housing delivery.

The less than substantial harm to the setting of the three Grade II listed buildings and harm to rural character and appearance, weighed against the modest social, economic and environmental benefits of seven open-market dwellings, tipped decisively against the proposal; the great weight given to heritage conservation was not outweighed by the benefits.