®Planning appeal decision
Land at Sharps Farm, South of The Street, Latchingdon, CM3 6JP
‘outline planning application with all matters reserved except for means of access, for up to 140 no. dwellings (Use Class C3) including 40% affordable housing; new site access and internal access roads; a new village centre (Use Class E(a)); flexible employment space (Use Class E); car and cycle parking; landscaping; sustainable urban drainage systems; public open space and footpaths; community woodlands and allotments; together with associated infrastructure’
- Authority
- Maldon District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Bowyer J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether or not the proposal would be in a suitable location having regard to relevant development plan policies providing the Council's spatial strategy
- the effect of the proposal on the integrity of designated European and Ramsar sites
- the effect of the proposal on the character, appearance and identity of Latchingdon and surrounding countryside
- whether or not the proposal would be in a suitable location having regard to flood risk
- whether or not the proposal would be in a suitable location having regard to future occupiers' access to services, facilities and sustainable transport modes
- the effect of the proposal on the demand for and provision of local infrastructure with particular regard to foul drainage, education; healthcare - GP services; and highways
What decided it
The Inspector could not be satisfied, applying the precautionary principle under the Habitats Regulations, that the proposal would not adversely affect the integrity of the Essex Coast European and Ramsar sites via functionally linked land for wintering/foraging birds.
The benefits of the scheme, including significant weight afforded to housing and affordable housing delivery, were found insufficient to outweigh the unresolved harm to the integrity of European and Ramsar sites together with other identified harms, resulting in conflict with the development plan as a whole that was not outweighed by material considerations including the Framework.
Framework references: 11, 175, 193
Plan policies cited: Policy S1, Policy S2, Policy S8, Policy D1, Policy D5, Policy N2, Policy H1, Policy I1
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.