Land Adjacent The Linhay, Ashford, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4BY

erection of 5 No. dwellings, including garages and associated access

Authority: North Devon District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Marigold O

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including the Ashford Conservation Area (CA)
whether the proposal would accord with the strategy of the Development Plan including in respect of affordable housing and housing need

What decided it

The significant harm to the character and appearance of the area and the conservation area, combined with the proposal's failure to accord with the spatial strategy and demonstrated local housing needs, could not be outweighed by the modest housing supply benefits.

The adverse impacts of granting permission, comprising significant harm to character and appearance and conflict with the development plan strategy, significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of five additional dwellings and limited social and economic contributions.

Framework references: 84, 215, 212, 202, 11

Plan policies cited: ST04, DM04, DM08A, ST15, ST07, DM24, ST17, DM24(d), DM24(e), DM24(f), ST21, ST21(2), ST21(2)(c), ST21(2)(d), ST01, DM7

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.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

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