Former Congregational Church, Fingringhoe Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8EB

demolition of former Old Heath Congregational Church and construction of a pair of 3 bedroomed semi-detached houses and associated works

Authority: Colchester Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Jones H

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposed development complies with the relevant development plan policy which protects and provides for community facilities
The effects of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the area including the effects of the loss of the former Congregational Church building as a non-designated heritage asset
Whether the proposed development would satisfactorily address any risks posed by site contamination

What decided it

The proposal conflicts with the development plan on three independent grounds: inadequate community facility provision due to an undated and unreliable undertaking, unacceptable harm to character and appearance through loss of a non-designated heritage asset and poor design quality, and failure to assess and address contamination risks.

Plan policies cited: Policy 2, Policy SP7, Policy DM15, Policy ENV1, Policy DM16, Policy DM13, Policy ENV5

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.