Land at Toddhurst Farmhouse, Lake Lane, Barnham, West Sussex, PO22 0AL

permission in principle for construction of up to 3 self-build dwellings

Authority: Arun District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Jolly J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, the amount of development and the proposed land use on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The harm to character and appearance caused by development set back from the established building line, appearing incongruous within the open garden space, outweighed the limited benefits of housing delivery and self-build provision in the planning balance.

The very limited social, economic and environmental benefits associated with the small-scale development, including provision of self-build housing for local young families, do not outweigh the harm to character and appearance

Framework references: 11, 14

Plan policies cited: Policy C SP1 of the ALP, Policy HP1 of the WNP

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.