®Planning appeal decision
Moat Farm, Chelmsford Road, Rawreth, Essex, SS11 8SJ
Planning appeal 3367226 at Moat Farm, Chelmsford Road, Rawreth, Essex, SS11 8SJ (Rochford District Council) was dismissed on 28 October 2025 by Inspector Bennett T, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the proposed development passes the sequential test in relation to flood risk.
to demolish existing outbuildings and change of use from motor vehicle repair, storage, breaking, sales, painting, sales of parts, build specialist vehicles and storage of salvage vehicles into residential and construct detached dwelling, revised proposal
- Authority
- Rochford District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Bennett T
- Postcode
- SS11 8SJ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposed development passes the sequential test in relation to flood risk
- the effect of the proposal on ecology with particular regard to great crested newts
What decided it
The proposal failed to pass the sequential test for flood risk and did not demonstrate an acceptable effect on great crested newts, and these policy conflicts were not outweighed by the limited benefits of one additional dwelling.
The proposal's moderate benefits in housing supply and visual enhancement were substantially outweighed by the failure to pass the sequential test and the unresolved ecology concerns regarding protected species; the normal planning balance applied (not the tilted balance) because flood risk policies provided a strong reason for refusal.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy ENV3 of the Rochford District Council Core Strategy (2011)Policy ENV1 of the Rochford District Council Core Strategy (2011)Policy DM27 of the Development Management Plan (2014)
- 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
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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.