®Planning appeal decision
Land West of High Street, Stebbing, Dunmow, Essex, CM6 3RA
Planning appeal 3362146 at Land West of High Street, Stebbing, Dunmow, Essex, CM6 3RA (Uttlesford District Council) was dismissed on 27 October 2025 by Inspector Bowyer J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether or not the proposal would be in an acceptable location having regard to its position in the countryside.
Erection of 28 residential dwellings (comprising 14 affordable and 11 private market homes together with 3 self-build plots) and local affordable employment unit/flexible community space; provision of public open space and associated local amenity facilities (activating Local Green Space allocation); together with integrated landscaping and car parking (to include additional community parking facility)
- Authority
- Uttlesford District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Bowyer J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether or not the proposal would be in an acceptable location having regard to its position in the countryside
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- The effect of the proposal on heritage assets
- The effect of the proposal on Local Green Space
What decided it
The harm to the significance of the Stebbing Conservation Area, which would not be outweighed by public benefits, combined with inappropriate development on Local Green Space and harm to character and appearance, meant that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply and the proposal conflicted with the development plan as a whole.
The public benefits of housing delivery (28 dwellings including 14 affordable units and 3 self-build plots), economic and social benefits, community parking provision, biodiversity net gain, and sustainability measures were insufficient to outweigh the collective harm to the Stebbing Conservation Area (moderate to low level less than substantial harm), two areas of Local Green Space (significant harm to openness and overall detriment), and character and appearance (moderate harm), particularly given that the harm to the Conservation Area would not be outweighed by public benefits.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy S7Policy ENV1Policy ENV2Policy ENV4Policy ENV5Policy H9Policy STEB1Policy STEB4Policy STEB6Policy STEB7Policy STEB9
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 156
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 Uttlesford District Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
- Allowed26 October 202660102676 Coopers Villas, Coopers End Road, Takeley, CM22 6PT
- Dismissed13 October 20266009731Land North of Tile House Bungalow, Stebbing Green, Dumow, CM6 3TE
- Dismissed1 October 20266010951Land North of the Bower House, Clatterbury Lane, Clavering, CB11 4QR
- Allowed4 September 20266008264Land to the West of The Cottage, Snakes Lane, Ugley Green, CM22 6HW
- Dismissed3 September 20266008739Orchard View, Gallows Green Road, Great Easton, CM6 3QS
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.