Annex at Mollcroft, Hempstead Lane, Potten End, BERKHAMSTED, HP4 2RZ

change of use for an existing detached residential annex building to a separate dwellinghouse

Authority: Dacorum Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Warder S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and relevant development plan policies
the effect of the proposal on the Chiltern Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt that would significantly reduce openness, and the other considerations, including the contribution to housing supply, do not clearly outweigh this substantial harm.

substantial weight given to harm to the Green Belt; limited weight to the benefit of housing land supply and the absence of other harms; the balance does not tip in favour of the proposal

Framework references: 153, 154, 11, 58

Plan policies cited: CS5, CS1, CS12, CS25, CS26

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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