Land North Of Hilltops , Southend Road , Howe Green Sandon Chelmsford , Essex, CM2 7TE

‘outline application with access and layout, all other matters reserved for the development of two detached dwellings.’

Authority: Chelmsford Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Philpott M

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
if the proposal would be inappropriate development, the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt
whether the site is an appropriate location for housing, with particular regard to the Council's spatial strategy and access to services, facilities and sustainable transport options
if the proposal would be inappropriate development, whether the 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 development

What decided it

The proposal causes substantial harm to the Green Belt through inappropriateness and significant adverse impacts on openness, which is not clearly outweighed by the modest benefits of two additional dwellings and local economic contributions.

Framework references: 152, 154, 83, 109, 153

Plan policies cited: Policy DM9, Policy DM6, Policy S11, Policy S1, Policy S7

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.