®Planning appeal decision
Bearscombe, Near Modbury, Plymouth, Devon, PL21 0TU
Planning appeal 6001239 at Bearscombe, Near Modbury, Plymouth, Devon, PL21 0TU (South Hams District Council) was dismissed on 24 February 2026 by Inspector Faulkner H, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposed development with reference to the spatial strategy and the development plan.
the change of use of a mobile home in a garden to long term residential letting
- Authority
- South Hams District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Faulkner H
- Postcode
- PL21 0TU
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposed development with reference to the spatial strategy and the development plan
- Whether the development would provide acceptable living conditions for future occupants, with particular regard to floor space
What decided it
The site's isolated location and poor accessibility to services and sustainable transport options amount to clear harm that significantly and demonstrably outweighs the benefits of housing delivery, even when the shortfall in housing supply is taken into account.
The benefits of providing an additional dwelling through reuse of an existing building and proximity to local businesses were outweighed by the clear harm arising from the site's isolated location, poor accessibility to services, and absence of realistic sustainable travel options, when assessed against the Framework policies taken as a whole.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy SPT1Policy SPT2Policy TTV1Policy TTV26Policy DEV29Policy DEV32Policy DEV10Policy DEV15Policy MNP1
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 84Paragraph 11
- Judgments
- Braintree DC v SSCLG, Greyread Ltd & Granville Developments Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 610; City & Country Bramshill Limited v SSHCLG and others [2021] EWCA Civ 320
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 authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
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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.