The Black Barn, Nursery Lane, Wivelsfield Green, East Sussex, RH17 7RB

proposed conversion of redundant agri-barn to 5 bed dwelling

Authority: Lewes District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Housden C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
whether the existing building is suitable for conversion
whether the proposal would provide adequate living conditions for future occupants with specific regard to ceiling heights and outlook

What decided it

The considerable harm to character and appearance through domestication of a rural site, combined with inadequate living conditions due to low ceiling heights, could not be outweighed by the limited housing and biodiversity benefits in the context of the tilted balance.

The adverse effects of granting planning permission, comprising significant harm to character and appearance and considerable harm to living conditions of future occupiers, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the limited benefits of providing one dwelling and biodiversity net gain, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.

Framework references: 11, 58, 61, 84, 135, 139, 187, 232

Plan policies cited: Policy CP10, Policy CP11, Policy DM1, Policy DM4, Policy DM25

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.