®Planning appeal decision
Locksmiths Farm, Robinhood End, Finchingfield, Essex, CO9 4NN
Planning appeal 3360117 at Locksmiths Farm, Robinhood End, Finchingfield, Essex, CO9 4NN (Braintree District Council) was allowed on 15 September 2025 by Inspector Bowyer J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether or not the development would be in a suitable location having regard to its location in the countryside and future occupiers' access to services, facilities and sustainable transport modes.
‘demolition of barn structures, development of a single dwelling and detached garage, external alterations of existing Nissen Hut together with hard and soft landscaping and boundary treatments’
- Authority
- Braintree District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Bowyer J
- Postcode
- CO9 4NN
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether or not the development would be in a suitable location having regard to its location in the countryside and future occupiers' access to services, facilities and sustainable transport modes
- whether or not there would be acceptable provision for the management of domestic waste
What decided it
The cumulative benefits of housing delivery, character and appearance enhancement, heritage asset refurbishment, and biodiversity gain, when weighed against the limited harm from countryside location and private vehicle reliance, were sufficient to outweigh the development plan conflict.
The limited harm arising from location in the countryside contrary to the spatial strategy and reliance on private vehicles was outweighed by the cumulative benefits of housing supply (significant weight), economic benefits and rural community vitality support (moderate weight), biodiversity enhancement (moderate weight), and character and appearance improvements with heritage asset significance enhancement (significant weight).
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy LPP 1Policy SP 3Policy SP 7Policy LPP 42Policy LPP 52Policy LPP 72
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
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 Braintree District Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
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- Notice varied and upheld30 April 20243299386Stock Street Farm Barn , Stock Street Farm , Coggeshall, Essex, CO6 1NX
- Dismissed16 December 20223291529The Fox Inn, The Green, Finchingfield, Essex, CM7 4JX
- Dismissed24 March 20223278217Swan Inn, The Street, Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford, CM3 2DW
- Dismissed28 October 20266008511Rose Cottage Church Road, Terling, CM3 2PH
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.