®Planning appeal decision
Meadowcroft, Woodham Road, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex, SS11 7QU
Planning appeal 3340007 at Meadowcroft, Woodham Road, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex, SS11 7QU (Chelmsford Borough Council) was allowed on 2 December 2024 by Inspector Dade E, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant development plan policies, with particular regard to the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt.
temporary permission to expand the car park capacity at Meadow Croft Garden Centre
- Authority
- Chelmsford Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- leisure-sport · Change of use
- Inspector
- Dade E
- Postcode
- SS11 7QU
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant development plan policies, with particular regard to the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt
- Whether the proposal would enable the sustainable growth and expansion of a rural business
- 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 temporary nature of the harm to Green Belt openness combined with the significant weight given to the proposal's positive effects on highway safety and efficiency, and the absence of other viable parking solutions available in the short term, clearly outweighed the harm and established very special circumstances.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy S11Policy DM10Policy S8
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 142Paragraph 143Paragraph 152Paragraph 153Paragraph 155Paragraph 88
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
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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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.