®Planning appeal decision
Flitterbanks Barn, The Drive, Maresfield Park, Maresfield, TN22 3ER
Planning appeal 3345143 at Flitterbanks Barn, The Drive, Maresfield Park, Maresfield, TN22 3ER (Wealden District Council) was allowed on 18 March 2025 by Inspector Wallace J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the site would be a suitable location for housing, with particular regard to the locational policies of the development plan and access to services, facilities and sustainable transport options.
erection of four dwellings together with associated access
- Authority
- Wealden District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Wallace J
- Postcode
- TN22 3ER
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the site would be a suitable location for housing, with particular regard to the locational policies of the development plan and access to services, facilities and sustainable transport options
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the proposed development on the integrity of the Ashdown Forest SAC and SPA
What decided it
The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply engaged the tilted balance, and the significant weight attached to the delivery of four additional dwellings outweighed the limited weight given to the conflict with locational policies and car dependency.
The adverse impacts of conflict with development plan locational policies and private car dependence, to which limited weight was attached, were outweighed by the significant weight given to the delivery of four additional dwellings in an area with a housing land supply shortfall, with the Framework's presumption in favour of sustainable development applying.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- LP Saved Policy EN1LP Saved Policy GD2LP Saved Policy DC17LP Saved Policy EN8LP Saved Policy EN27LP Saved Policy EN15CS Policy WCS14CS Policy WCS12CS Spatial Planning Objective SPO1CS Spatial Planning Objective SPO7CS Spatial Planning Objective SPO13
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 57Paragraph 58Paragraph 110Paragraph 115Paragraph 164
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.