®Planning appeal decision
Crouchlands Farm, Rickman's Lane, Plaistow, West Sussex, RH14 0LE
the erection of 108 dwellings (Use Class C3), and associated access and street network, footpaths, open spaces, plant, landscaping and site infrastructure. Appeal B: APP/L3815/W/24/3344661 Crouchlands Farm, Rickman's Lane, Plaistow, West Sussex, RH14 0LE
- Authority
- Chichester District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Davies G
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The location of development in relation to the spatial strategy of the development plan, and accessibility to facilities and services including by sustainable modes of transport
- Landscape character and appearance, including heritage aspects of the landscape
- Design and layout
- The ecological value of the Arun Valley Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Ramsar site in respect of water neutrality
- Flood risk and surface water drainage
- Heritage assets in respect of the setting of grade II listed Crouchland and non-designated Hardnips Barn
- Highway safety
- The ecological value of The Mens and Ebernoe Common Special Areas of Conservation in respect of bats
- Health risk from lagoon 3
- Ancient woodland
- Foul drainage
- Agricultural operation of Crouchlands Farm
- Housing land supply and housing requirement
What decided it
The combination of unresolved conflict with the Habitats Regulations (failure to achieve water neutrality) and failure of the sequential flood risk test provided clear reasons for refusal that prevented the tilted balance applying, and overall the adverse impacts were found to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.
the adverse impacts of the proposed development, taken collectively (poor accessibility, landscape harm, water neutrality/habitats conflict, design and heritage harm, flood risk), were found to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits (housing delivery, affordable housing, economic benefits and other improvements)
Framework references: 109, 180, 208, 209, 194, 168, 173, 77, 226, 72, 11, 205
Plan policies cited: Policy 2, Policy 4, Policy 8, Policy 9, Policy 25, Policy 33, Policy 39, Policy 40, Policy 42, Policy 45, Policy 46, Policy 47, Policy 48, Policy 49, Policy 52
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.