®Planning appeal decision
Drovers Barn, Church End, Swerford, Oxfordshire , OX7 4BA
Planning appeal 3336443 at Drovers Barn, Church End, Swerford, Oxfordshire , OX7 4BA (West Oxfordshire District Council) was dismissed on 30 July 2024 by Inspector Rawle S, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether or not the appeal site is an appropriate location for the proposed development having regard to the development plan and national policies relating to development within a small village.
the conversion of builder’s yard storage building to dwellinghouse and associated alterations and operations
- Authority
- West Oxfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Rawle S
- Postcode
- OX7 4BA
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether or not the appeal site is an appropriate location for the proposed development having regard to the development plan and national policies relating to development within a small village
- whether or not the proposed development would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Swerford Conservation Area, conserve the landscape and scenic beauty of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and would preserve the setting of listed and locally listed buildings
- the effect of the proposed development on ecology with particular regard to great crested newts
What decided it
The proposal conflicts with development plan policies requiring residential development in small villages to be limited to specific types of re-use, and the building remains in active commercial use; additionally, the adverse ecological impacts regarding great crested newts have not been satisfactorily demonstrated to be absent.
The modest benefits of providing one dwelling in a context of housing shortfall, preserving the conservation area, and removing unsightly commercial materials were outweighed by the moderate harm of locating residential development in an unsustainable location contrary to the development plan and the significant harm of unresolved ecology concerns regarding great crested newts, such that the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy OS2Policy H2Policy E1Policy E3Policy T1Policy T3Policy CN2Policy EH9Policy EH10Policy EH13Policy EH16Policy EH3
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in West Oxfordshire
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2024
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- Allowed13 October 20266004776Land South of Ramsden, Akeman Street, Ramsden, OX7 3AY
- Notice varied and upheld18 September 20263358009Chalford Paddocks, Oxford Road, Old Chalford Chipping Norton, OX7 5QR
- Allowed9 September 20266007705Forge Garage, Church Road, Churchill, OX7 6NJ
- Dismissed2 September 2026600910346 Market Square, Witney, OX28 6AL
The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.