Planning appeal decision
Horrathorn Farm, Northlew, Okehampton, EX20 3BT
Planning appeal 3350956 at Horrathorn Farm, Northlew, Okehampton, EX20 3BT (West Devon Borough Council) was dismissed on 11 April 2025 by Inspector Harrington S, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposals on the character and appearance of the area.
siting of 3no. dwellinghouses
- Authority
- West Devon Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Harrington S
- Postcode
- EX20 3BT
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposals on the character and appearance of the area
- whether the appeal sites would be a suitable location for the proposals, with regard to the local development strategy and accessibility to services and facilities
- whether the proposals would provide a suitable housing mix with particular regard to the local housing need
- whether the proposals would provide suitable living conditions for future occupiers, with particular regard to privacy
- whether the proposals would comply with policies that seek to deliver low carbon development
- if there is any harm, whether this is outweighed by other considerations, particularly whether there is a fallback position for alternative proposed developments
What decided it
The proposals would cause unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the rural area through their suburban layout and form, and would be in an unsustainable location dependent on private vehicle use, with these harms not outweighed by the Class Q fallback or other material considerations.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DEV20Policy TTV26Policy SPT1Policy SPT2Policy TTV1Policy DEV29Policy DEV32Policy DEV8Policy DEV9Policy DEV1
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


More decisions in West Devon
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
- Dismissed4 February 20266001637Land at Sx 572 976, (West of Spinney Way),, Folly Gate, Okehampton, EX20 3FS
- Allowed4 February 20263369266Land Adjacent Huckleberry House, Bridestowe, Okehampton, EX20 4AR
- Dismissed10 January 20253345959Greystone, Bere Ferrers, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 7JX
- Dismissed16 June 20233306164Axtown Lodge, Green Lane, Axtown, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6BW
- Dismissed27 October 20266012878Development Site at Sx 447 766, Lamerton, PL19 8RX
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.
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