The Brown Horse Inn, High Stoop, Tow Law, BISHOP AUCKLAND, County Durham, DL13 4HJ

Planning permission for a new building to house a swimming pool with changing facilities, ancillary toilets to support the existing restaurant, with accommodation above. An additional new building for storage and function use. Redevelopment of existing car park to support the scheme”

Authority: Durham County Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Other minor developments
Inspector: Dean S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether or not the proposal would be financially sound
the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
the effect of the proposal on biodiversity
whether or not the construction of the proposal would meet the required standards

What decided it

The proposal failed to clearly demonstrate that the business expansion would be financially sound as required by Policy 10, and would cause significant unmitigated biodiversity harm contrary to Policy 41.

Plan policies cited: Policy 10, Policy 8, Policy 29, Policy 38, Policy 39, Policy 41

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.