The Chequers, Cambridge Road, Ugley, CM22 6HZ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the appeal site is a suitable location for housing, having regard to the proposal's effect on the character and appearance of the countryside and encouraging movement by means other than the private car
• The effect of the proposal on the setting and significance of a Grade II listed building

What decided it

The significant environmental and social benefit of enabling the future conservation of the listed building and putting it to a viable use, combined with the housing delivery benefits in the context of a shortfall in five-year housing land supply, outweighed the less than substantial harm to the listed building's setting and the limited localised harm to countryside character.

The benefits of housing delivery (moderate weight), enabling the conservation of the listed building (significant weight), and economic and social benefits (limited weight) outweighed the less than substantial harm to the listed building's setting (considerable importance and weight) and the limited localised harm to countryside character (limited weight), such that the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.