Whatlington Road - Land on West Side of Whatlington , Battle , TN33 0NA

Authority: Rother District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Housden C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the location, land use and amount of the proposed development is acceptable, having regard to the location of the development outside a defined settlement boundary
accessibility to services and facilities for future occupants
effect on the character and appearance of the area, including whether it would conserve and enhance the landscape and scenic beauty of the High Weald National Landscape

What decided it

The significant harm to the High Weald National Landscape, which neither conserves nor enhances its landscape and scenic beauty, constituted a strong reason for refusal under paragraph 11(d)(i) of the Framework that outweighed the moderate benefits of housing supply and economic activity.

The significant harm to the High Weald National Landscape and conflict with spatial strategy policies (given limited weight due to housing land supply shortfall) were outweighed by the moderate benefits of housing delivery and construction-phase economic benefits, but the great weight required by the Framework for National Landscape conservation tipped the balance decisively against the proposal.

Framework references: 11, 61, 110, 135, 189

Plan policies cited: Policy OSS3, Policy RA2, Policy RA3, Policy DEN1, Policy DEN2, Policy EN1, Policy OSS4

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.