Driftwood, Hale Road, Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, CB24 4QP

Planning appeal 3370713 at Driftwood, Hale Road, Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, CB24 4QP (South Cambridgeshire District Council) was allowed on 16 October 2025 by Inspector Price J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the change of use proposed would be appropriate with regard to the development framework policy of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018.

change of use of land and buildings to residential curtilage/residential use

Authority: South Cambridgeshire District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Price J
Postcode: CB24 4QP

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the change of use proposed would be appropriate with regard to the development framework policy of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018
Availability of village employment sites
Reuse of countryside buildings
Character and appearance of the area
Requirements for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

What decided it

The proposal involves reuse of existing buildings historically linked to the dwelling with no new operational development, and the Council's own previous conditions had tied the commercial use to the dwelling occupation, making it unreasonable to now require marketing or removal of those conditions.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy S/7Policy E/14Policy H/17Policy NH/2Policy HQ/1
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 56

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 authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025

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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.