Spencer House, King Street, High Ongar, ONGAR, CM5 9NR

Proposed American barn style stables together with manage/arena and change of use to equine”

Authority: Epping Forest District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Other minor developments
Inspector: Bradley F

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, including its effect on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
the effect of the proposal on pedestrian and highway safety
if the proposal would be inappropriate development, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal would cause significant spatial harm to the openness of the Green Belt which, attracting substantial weight, was not clearly outweighed by the limited other considerations identified, so very special circumstances did not exist to justify inappropriate development.

Framework references: 154, 116

Plan policies cited: Policy DM4, Policy T1

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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