Glen Lodge, Glen Road, BENFLEET, SS7 1AN

alterations and extensions to convert existing storage outbuildings into 1No. self-contained dwelling

Authority: Castle Point Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Glassar S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposed development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
The effect of the proposal on the openness and the purpose of the Green Belt
The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
The effect of the proposed development on the Benfleet and Southend Marshes and the Blackwater estuary
Whether any 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 the proposal

What decided it

The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt with substantial harm that is not clearly outweighed by other considerations, and the absence of a secured mitigation mechanism for protected habitat impacts means the Habitats Regulations cannot be satisfied.

Framework references: 11, 142, 152, 153, 154, 155, 186

Plan policies cited: Policy EC2, RDG1

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.

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