Barn Close Kennels, Combe Raleigh, HONITON, EX14 4SG

change of use from kennels to 3 no. dwellings including associated works and parking

Authority: East Devon District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Bale M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, and landscape and natural scenic beauty of the Blackdown Hills National Landscape
Whether the site and buildings are appropriate for residential use, with regard to local and national planning policy
Whether appropriate living conditions would be provided for future occupiers of the site
Whether there are any other material considerations that might indicate that a decision should be taken otherwise than in accordance with the development plan, with particular regard to the National Planning Policy Framework

What decided it

Policy D8 is out of date due to its inconsistency with the Framework's approach to rural building reuse, triggering the tilted balance under Framework paragraph 11(d), which favours the proposal as the adverse impacts do not significantly outweigh the housing benefits.

The conflicts with accessibility policies and the development plan were outweighed by the presumption in favour of sustainable development and the benefits of housing supply, given that the most important policies for determination are out of date

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: Strategy 46, Policy D1, Policy D2, Policy D3, Strategy 7, Policy D8, Strategy 5B, Policy TC2

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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