Land east of Grove Hill, Martinstown, Dorset, DT9 9JP

Approval of the details of the layout, scale and appearance of the buildings, the means of access thereto and the landscaping of the site

Authority: Dorset
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Rose C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, having regard to the site's location within the Dorset National Landscape and including whether it would preserve or enhance the significance of the Winterbourne St Martin Conservation Area
flood risk with particular regard to groundwater levels
the living conditions of nearby occupiers on Hardy Close with particular regard to outlook

What decided it

The extent of excavation required to construct the dwelling into the hillside would harm the character and appearance of the area and fail to conserve the landscape and scenic beauty of the Dorset National Landscape, combined with unresolved groundwater flood risk concerns.

Framework references: 135, 173, 208

Plan policies cited: Policy ENV1, Policy ENV4, Policy ENV10, Policy ENV12, Policy ENV5, Policy ENV16

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.