Friars Oak, Mill Farm Road, Hamsterley Mill, Rowlands Gill, County Durham, NE39 1NW

the erection of a residential dwelling

Authority: Durham County Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Harrison F

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the requirements of BNG are relevant to the proposal and, if so, whether such requirements are met
whether or not the proposal would be in an appropriate location, having regard to the Council's spatial strategy
the effect of the proposal on highway safety
the effect of the proposal on the character and quality of the landscape, including ancient and semi-natural woodland (ASNW) and trees

What decided it

The failure to secure self-build status through effective legal undertakings meant the proposal could not be treated as exempt from the mandatory 10% biodiversity net gain requirement, and the scheme did not demonstrate compliance with this statutory obligation.

Framework references: 187, 116

Plan policies cited: Policy 41, Policy 6, Policy 21, Policy 10, Policy 12, Policy 39, Policy 40

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.

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Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

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