®Planning appeal decision
Land Just South of Hazlehurst, Raymonds Hill, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5UH
Planning appeal 3369854 at Land Just South of Hazlehurst, Raymonds Hill, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5UH (East Devon District Council) was dismissed on 13 August 2026 by Inspector Heward H, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The risk of a fire event and whether, in the event of a fire, the proposed fire safety and pollution control measures would be sufficient to prevent pollution of aquifers and control the quality of groundwater, with particular regard to the health and safety of local residents.
- Authority
- East Devon District Council
- Appeal type
- Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- utilities-energy · Minor general industry/storage/warehousing
- Inspector
- Heward H
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The risk of a fire event and whether, in the event of a fire, the proposed fire safety and pollution control measures would be sufficient to prevent pollution of aquifers and control the quality of groundwater, with particular regard to the health and safety of local residents.
- The effect of the proposal upon the character and appearance of the local area including the Dorset National Landscape.
What decided it
The absence of sufficiently robust evidence, including up-to-date advice from the local fire and rescue service, that the proposed BESS cabinet specification and layout would satisfy the latest NFCC Guidance and would not give rise to unacceptable fire safety and consequent groundwater pollution risks.
The very considerable weight against the proposal from fire safety and groundwater pollution concerns, together with limited and moderate weight against from landscape/countryside and National Landscape policy conflict, outweighed the very significant weight attached to the low carbon energy, net zero, energy security and grid connection benefits of the scheme.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Strategy 39Strategy 7Strategy 46Policy EN14Policy EN16Policy EN18
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 190Paragraph 161Paragraph 168
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
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The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
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- Allowed10 July 2026600469610 Marine Parade, Budleigh Salterton, EX9 6NS
- Dismissed22 June 20266004123Land Formerly Devonshire Inn Cottage, Upottery, EX14 9NE
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.