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Planning appeal decision

Allowed8 April 20266002646

Old Spot Farm, Goldbridge Road, Piltdown, TN22 3XN

Planning appeal 6002646 at Old Spot Farm, Goldbridge Road, Piltdown, TN22 3XN (Wealden District Council) was allowed on 8 April 2026 by Inspector Walker C, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposal having regard to the spatial strategy within the development plan and its accessibility to local services and facilities.

demolition of existing farm shop and outbuildings and phased application for the erection of six semi-detached dwellings and one detached self build dwelling with associated landscaping and infrastructure

Authority
Wealden District Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector
Walker C
Postcode
TN22 3XN

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposal having regard to the spatial strategy within the development plan and its accessibility to local services and facilities
  • the effect of the proposed footpath on the setting of designated heritage assets
  • the effect of the proposal on the integrity of the habitat sites

What decided it

The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and the application of the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11(d), combined with the substantial weight attached to housing delivery benefits and the limited nature of the identified harms, decided the appeal in favour of the proposal.

The conflicts with the spatial strategy and accessibility policies, afforded limited weight due to outdated settlement boundaries and the site's relatively sustainable location in a rural context, were outweighed by the substantial benefits of boosting housing supply (7 new homes), the efficient use of previously developed land, economic and social benefits, and environmental benefits including biodiversity net gain, when assessed against the Framework taken as a whole.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
WLP Policy GD2WLP Policy DC17WLP Policy EN1WLP Policy EN15CS Policy WCS6CS Policy WCS12CS Policy WCS14CS spatial planning objective SP07CS spatial planning objective SP014CS spatial planning objective SP02
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 83

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 applied

The decision letter

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More decisions in Wealden District Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026

  1. Allowed15 September 20266008314
    Land off Eastbourne Road, Polegate, BN26 5DD
  2. Dismissed17 July 20266007376
    Land Adjoining 154 Station Road, Hailsham, BN27 2SB
  3. Allowed17 July 20266005293
    Milton Gate Farm, Milton Street, Polegate, BN26 5RS
  4. Dismissed15 July 20266004901
    11 Station Road, Polegate, BN26 6AT
  5. Allowed24 March 20263374398
    Barn at South Park Farm , Priory Road , Forest Row, RH18 5HT

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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.