®Planning appeal decision
The Bell Inn Watling Street Stretton Stafford ST19 9LN, Stafford , West Midlands , ST19 9LN
Planning appeal 3370364 at The Bell Inn Watling Street Stretton Stafford ST19 9LN, Stafford , West Midlands , ST19 9LN (South Staffordshire District Council) was allowed in part (a split decision) on 4 March 2026 by Inspector O'Neill A, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether condition 1 is reasonable or necessary in respect of the effect of the fence and gates on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt.
Change of use of part of the pub car park to online car sales (11 parking bays) with new boundary treatments and landscaping. Placement of refreshment booth (Part retrospective).
- Authority
- South Staffordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- retail · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- O'Neill A
- Postcode
- ST19 9LN
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether condition 1 is reasonable or necessary in respect of the effect of the fence and gates on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
- Whether condition 1 is reasonable or necessary in the interests of the character and appearance of the area
- Whether any harm would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify removing or varying condition 1
- The effect that varying the opening hours of the refreshment booth would have on the living conditions of neighbouring occupiers, with particular regard to noise and disturbance
- Whether condition 5 is reasonable or necessary in the interests of retaining the public house, with particular regard to the requirements of the development plan
What decided it
Condition 1 was upheld because the existing inappropriate Green Belt development (the metal fence and gates) causes demonstrable harm to openness and rural character that is not outweighed by other considerations, whereas condition 5 was varied because its ambiguous wording did not clearly restrict the refreshment booth to ancillary use and the proposed hours would reduce rather than increase potential harm to neighbours.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- GB1EQ4EQ9EV9
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 153
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
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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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.