®Planning appeal decision
Great Knelle Farm Whitebread Lane, Beckley, Beckley, TN31 6UB
a change of use from holiday let to residential dwelling
- Authority
- Rother District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- King T
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposal is in accordance with the Council's spatial policy for new residential development
- the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the surrounding area, with particular regard to its location within the High Weald National Landscape (HWNL)
- the development's effect on local ecology and protected species
What decided it
The previous planning permission had expired unimplemented before the current application was submitted, meaning the proposal must be assessed as new residential development in the countryside, which conflicts with spatial policy and lacks the necessary supporting information and justification.
The adverse impacts of granting planning permission—including conflict with spatial policy, harm to the character and appearance of the High Weald National Landscape, potential harm to local ecology, and the general lack of supporting information and detail—significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits, applying the tilted balance under paragraph 11(d) of the Framework notwithstanding the Council's inability to demonstrate five-year housing land supply.
Framework references: 11, 189, 198
Plan policies cited: Policy OSS2, Policy DIM2, Policy RA2, Policy RA3, Policy RA4, Policy PC1, Policy OSS3, Policy TR3, Policy DEN1, Policy DEN2, Policy OSS4, Policy EN3
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.