®Planning appeal decision
Land Adjacent To Hillcrest , Awliscombe, EX14 3NX
Planning appeal 3361389 at Land Adjacent To Hillcrest , Awliscombe, EX14 3NX (East Devon District Council) was dismissed on 9 July 2025 by Inspector Nicholls H, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the scale, nature and location of the development accords with the development plan in respect of accessibility to facilities and services.
outline planning application for construction of 20 no. dwellings, village hall and farm shop and provision of village green and car parking, seeking approval of access only (matters of appearance, landscaping, layout and scale reserved)
- Authority
- East Devon District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Nicholls H
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the scale, nature and location of the development accords with the development plan in respect of accessibility to facilities and services
- the effects of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including on the setting of the Blackdown Hills National Landscape (BHNL)
- whether the submitted planning obligation would adequately secure affordable housing
- whether the development would result in the loss of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land
What decided it
The adverse impacts from heavy reliance on private vehicles and harm to locally distinctive character and the setting of the National Landscape significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of housing delivery and affordable housing in the context of the tilted balance.
The benefits of delivering approximately 20 dwellings and affordable housing in the context of a 2.97 year housing supply (attracting great weight) were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the adverse impacts of unsustainable location with high private vehicle dependency and moderate harm to landscape character and visual quality and the setting of the Blackdown Hills National Landscape.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Strategy 1Strategy 5BStrategy 7Strategy 27Strategy 34Strategy 46Policy TC2Policy D1Policy EN13
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 110
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.