Cowden Farm, Mayfield Road, Five Ashes, East Sussex, TN20 6HL

‘Demolition of existing buildings as identified on submitted plans. Conversion of buildings to residential use to create 4 new three and four bed dwellings to include associated new vehicle parking and turning areas and driveways.’

Authority: Wealden District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Smith J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, with particular reference to whether it would conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the High Weald National Landscape
the effect on the setting of the Grade II listed building at Lower Cowden

What decided it

The harmful effects on the natural beauty of the High Weald National Landscape and the setting of the Grade II listed building, to which great weight and considerable importance must be attached respectively, are not outweighed by the modest public benefits of the proposal.

the less than substantial harm to the heritage asset and the harmful effect on the National Landscape character, to which great weight and considerable importance must be attached, outweighed the modest public benefits of housing provision and reuse of vacant buildings

Framework references: 11, 182, 205, 208

Plan policies cited: Policy DC8, Policy EN1, Policy EN6, Policy EN27, Policy EN29, Spatial Planning Objective SPO1, Spatial Planning Objective SPO2, Spatial Planning Objective SPO13, Policy WCS14

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.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.