®Planning appeal decision
Meadowcroft, Woodham Road, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex, SS11 7QU
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
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.
Framework references: 142, 143, 152, 153, 155, 88
Plan policies cited: Policy S11, Policy DM10, Policy S8
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.