50 & 52 Bluebell Drive, Spennymoor, DL16 7YF

change of use of land from public open space to domestic garden and enclosure with 1.8 m high brick wall and timber fence

Authority: Durham County Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Hartley D

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the loss of public open space is justified in development plan policy terms
The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The loss of public open space that has both functional and visual value, combined with significant harm to the character and appearance of the area through enclosure, could not be justified under development plan policy.

Framework references: 12

Plan policies cited: Policy 26 of the County Durham Plan 2020, Policy 6 of the County Durham Plan 2020, Policy 29 of the County Durham Plan 2020

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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.
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