Land adjacent 2 Estate Cottages Heathfield Road, Halland, LEWES, BN8 6PW

9 dwellings, office space and children’s play area

Authority: Wealden District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Harley S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether or not the planning application was validly made
whether or not the site is an appropriate location for residential development taking account of spatial planning policies
the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area (including the effect on the hedgerow)
the effect of the proposal on the setting of heritage assets including the Grade II Listed Hartfield and the non-designated Nos 1 and 2 Estate Cottages and Yew Tree House
whether or not safe and convenient access would be provided for all
whether or not appropriate provision has been made in respect of protected species and biodiversity

What decided it

The application was not valid because mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain metrics and a Biodiversity Gain Plan were not provided as part of the application before or at the time of registration, as required by the BNG Regulations which came into force on 2 April 2024.

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.