Land at Cocknage Farm Barns, Woodpark Lane, Cocknage, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 4AE

change of use of land (agricultural) for use as residential garden (retrospective) and associated fencing

Authority: Stafford Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Edwards J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the scheme represents inappropriate development in the Green Belt
its effect on the character and appearance of the area
whether it supports rural sustainability
if the scheme constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness and any other harm is clearly outweighed by other factors so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify it

What decided it

The change of use of agricultural land to residential garden represents inappropriate development in the Green Belt that fails to preserve openness and conflicts with Green Belt purposes, and the supporting factors do not clearly outweigh this harm to constitute very special circumstances.

Framework references: 143, 153, 154, 155

Plan policies cited: Spatial Principle 7, Spatial Principle 6, Policy N1, Policy N8, Policy D1

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.