®Planning appeal decision
Land Adjacent The Old Forge And Thornley Cottage, Burnham Road, Althorne, Essex, CM3 6DP
Planning appeal 3367949 at Land Adjacent The Old Forge And Thornley Cottage, Burnham Road, Althorne, Essex, CM3 6DP (Maldon District Council) was allowed on 11 December 2025 by Inspector Dring G, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the appeal site is in a suitable location for the development proposed when considering the Council's spatial strategy and the accessibility of services and facilities.
construction of new dwelling and associated development
- Authority
- Maldon District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Dring G
- Postcode
- CM3 6DP
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the appeal site is in a suitable location for the development proposed when considering the Council's spatial strategy and the accessibility of services and facilities
- the effect of the proposal on the integrity of European sites
- whether there are any other considerations that might outweigh any harm arising from the appeal proposal
What decided it
The significant housing land supply shortfall of 2.7 years, combined with the self-build nature of the dwelling and its visual integration within the village, meant that the benefits outweighed the harm from locating development outside the settlement boundary and contrary to sustainable transport objectives.
the significant benefits of delivering a self-build dwelling and contributing to housing supply in the context of a 2.7-year shortfall, together with modest economic and social benefits to the rural community, outweighed the significant harm from conflict with sustainable transport objectives and limited harm from conflict with spatial strategy
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy S8Policy S2Policy S1Policy N2
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 15Paragraph 55Paragraph 83Paragraph 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
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 Maldon
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
- Dismissed14 October 20266009639Land Adjacent Howells Farm Cottages, Maypole Road, Great Totham, CM9 4SY
- Allowed18 August 20266005664Land West of Spratts Farm, Queenborough Road, Southminster, CM0 7AD
- Allowed6 July 20266004910Land West of the Cemetery, London Road,, Maldon, CM9 6LJ
- Dismissed3 June 20266005039Land Adjacent 37 Sawyers Road, Tolleshunt Major, Maldon, CM9 8JW
- Allowed30 April 20266002783Land North East Of Woodham Mortimer Lodge, Lodge Road, Woodham Mortimer, Essex, CM9 6SJ
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.