®Planning appeal decision
Cowden Farm, Mayfield Road, Five Ashes, East Sussex, TN20 6HL
the demolition and conversion of redundant farm buildings to provide 2 x 2 bed cottages, 1 x 3 bed unit and 1 x 4 bed unit with parking and landscaping
- Authority
- Wealden District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Francis L
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area with particular regard to the landscape, scenic and natural beauty of the HWNL
- whether the proposal would preserve the setting of the Grade II listed Lower Cowden
- whether the proposed development would provide a suitable location for housing, having regard to the spatial strategy, public transport network and accessibility of services
- the effect of the proposal on ecology
What decided it
The harm to the character and appearance of the High Weald National Landscape and the less than substantial harm to the setting of the Grade II listed Lower Cowden, combined with the unsustainable location and insufficient ecological evidence, engaged the exception to the tilted balance in paragraph 11(d)(i) of the Framework, outweighing the modest public benefits of housing delivery.
The modest public benefits of 4 additional homes, beneficial reuse of vacant buildings, and socio-economic benefits were outweighed by the less than substantial harm to the designated heritage asset, harm to the character and appearance of the National Landscape, unsustainable location, and insufficient ecological evidence; the exception in paragraph 11(d)(i) of the Framework applied, removing the presumption in favour of sustainable development.
Framework references: 11, 189, 193
Plan policies cited: Local Plan Policy EN6, Local Plan Policy EN1, Local Plan Policy DC8, Local Plan Policy GD2, Local Plan Policy DC17, Core Strategy Policy WCS14, Core Strategy Policy WCS6, Core Strategy Policy WCS12, Spatial Planning Objective SPO1, Spatial Planning Objective SPO2, Spatial Planning Objective SPO7
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.