Land at (OS 8072 4527), Guarlford Road, Guarlford, WR13 6NS

change of use of land to accommodate three self-build Passivhaus Class 3 dwelling places

Authority: Malvern Hills District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Townend K

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the site is an appropriate location for the proposed housing, having regard to the development strategy for the area and the accessibility of services and facilities
the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area, including on the setting of 170 Guarlford Road, a designated heritage asset

What decided it

The adverse effects on the character and appearance of the area and the setting of the Grade II Listed Building, combined with the unsustainable location and conflict with the development plan, significantly and demonstrably outweigh the limited benefits of the scheme, even with a housing land supply of only 2.06 years.

The less than substantial harm to the setting of the Grade II Listed Building and the significant harm to character and appearance, combined with environmental and social impacts, were afforded significant weight and substantially outweighed the limited benefits of housing delivery, economic benefits and energy efficiency, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.

Framework references: 11, 63, 65, 139, 215

Plan policies cited: Policy SWDP 2, Policy SWDP 4, Policy SWDP 6, Policy SWDP 15, Policy SWDP 21, Policy SWDP 24, Policy SWDP 25

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.