Beech Hedge Farm Weston Ditch, West Row, BURY ST. EDMUNDS, IP28 8RE

a new single storey, 3 bedroom dwelling to replace the existing 143m 2 mobile home

Authority: West Suffolk
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Beloe C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area with respect to residential development in the open countryside
the effect of the fallback position and the matters which would be secured via the unilateral undertaking

What decided it

The fallback position of retaining the mobile home indefinitely alongside the built-out live/work unit would be more harmful to character and appearance than the proposed development secured by the unilateral undertaking, which replaces two structures with one.

The conflict with specific criteria in Policy SP21 was outweighed by the significant weight afforded to the fallback position, which would be more harmful to character and appearance, resulting in overall betterment and accordance with the development plan as a whole

Framework references: 135, 84

Plan policies cited: Policy SP4, Policy LP8, Policy LP9, Policy SP21, Policy LP11, Policy SP24, Policy LP1

Judgments cited: Measor v Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions [1998] 4 P.L.R. 93; [1999] J.P.L. 182

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

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