®Planning appeal decision
The Old Rectory, Church Road, Ashby St Mary, Norfolk, NR14 7BJ
Planning appeal 3356503 at The Old Rectory, Church Road, Ashby St Mary, Norfolk, NR14 7BJ (South Norfolk District Council) was allowed on 8 October 2025 by Inspector Hickey A, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the proposed development would be in a suitable location for housing with regard to the local development strategy and accessibility to services and facilities.
development of a single high-quality sustainable dwelling with garaging
- Authority
- South Norfolk District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Hickey A
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposed development would be in a suitable location for housing with regard to the local development strategy and accessibility to services and facilities
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the proposal on the integrity of Habitats sites, with particular regard to recreational pressure
What decided it
The tilted balance under Framework paragraph 11(d)(ii), applied because the Council cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, meant that the adverse impacts of locating development contrary to the spatial strategy did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal when assessed against the Framework as a whole.
The moderate weight afforded to conflict with spatial strategy and accessibility policies was outweighed by the significant weight given to the outstanding design and sustainability of the dwelling, the minor weight of housing supply contribution, and the moderate weight of socio-economic benefits, resulting in permission being granted under the tilted balance.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DM1.3Policy DM1.1Policy DM3.10Policy DM1.4Policy DM4.5Greater Norwich Local Plan Policy 2Greater Norwich Local Plan Policy 3
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 84Paragraph 110Paragraph 139
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
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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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.