Mission Hall, Bells Hill Road, Vange, Essex, SS16 5JY

Planning appeal 3370030 at Mission Hall, Bells Hill Road, Vange, Essex, SS16 5JY (Thurrock Borough Council) was dismissed on 5 December 2025 by Inspector Fern L, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the proposed loss of a community facility would be justified.

change of use of existing mission building into one bedroom dwelling

Authority: Thurrock Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Fern L
Postcode: SS16 5JY

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposed loss of a community facility would be justified
whether the proposal would satisfy the requirements of the statutory framework for biodiversity net gain

What decided it

The doubtful compliance with the statutory framework for biodiversity net gain, which the Inspector found to be of such importance as to have paramountcy over the presumption in favour of sustainable development, outweighed the housing benefits and the moderate harm from loss of the community facility.

The moderate harm from loss of the community facility and conflict with the development plan, together with the considerable harm from non-compliance with the statutory BNG framework, outweighed the significant benefits of housing delivery and efficient use of a previously developed site, with the BNG non-compliance having paramountcy over the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy CSTP10
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 98Paragraph 187Paragraph 11

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.

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The decision letter

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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.