Latchingdon Hall Rectory Lane, Latchingdon, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 6HD

erection of a self-build elliptical house

Authority: Maldon District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Spencer D

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The development plan in respect of the principle of what is proposed having regard to its location
Whether the proposal would comprise an isolated home in countryside
Whether the proposal would comprise a design of exceptional quality
The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the surrounding area

What decided it

The significant conflict with development plan policies requiring sustainable patterns of development and careful management of countryside development, arising from the site's distance from settlements and poor accessibility by non-car modes, significantly and demonstrably outweighs the benefits of housing delivery and the proposal's environmental and design qualities.

The modest benefits of housing delivery, self-build status, environmental credentials from innovative materials, and improved design standards were outweighed by the significant negative weight given to the locational conflict with policies S1 and S8 requiring sustainable development patterns and careful countryside management, such that the proposal would not amount to sustainable development.

Framework references: 11, 61, 63, 83, 84, 110, 164

Plan policies cited: Policy S1, Policy S8, Policy D1, Policy H4

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.