Larkrise Cottage, Cock Lane, Highwood, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3RB

the demolition of existing garage and construction of new dwelling

Authority: Chelmsford Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Sylvester G

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to any relevant development plan policies and the Framework
The effect of the proposed development on the openness of the Green Belt
Whether the proposed dwelling would be in an appropriate location for new housing, with particular regard to the Council's settlement strategy and accessibility to facilities and services
If the proposal is inappropriate development, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify it

What decided it

The proposal's status as inappropriate development in the Green Belt, combined with its location outside the settlement boundary in an unsustainable location requiring heavy reliance on private vehicles, means the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development do not exist.

Framework references: 11, 63, 82, 84, 96, 152, 153, 154

Plan policies cited: Policy S1, Policy S11, Policy DM1, Policy DM6, Policy DM9

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.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

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