Planning appeal decision
Coombe Dairy, Exe View Road, Lympstone, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 5AZ
Planning appeal 6003751 at Coombe Dairy, Exe View Road, Lympstone, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 5AZ (East Devon District Council) was allowed on 12 May 2026 by Inspector Kent R, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the site is in a suitable location having regard to the development plan policies concerning housing in the countryside.
Unrestricted use as a dwellinghouse
- Authority
- East Devon District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Kent R
- Postcode
- EX8 5AZ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the site is in a suitable location having regard to the development plan policies concerning housing in the countryside
- The effect of the development on the East Pebblebed Heaths Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Exe Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA)
What decided it
The significant shortfall in the Council's housing land supply (2.97 years) and the Framework's support for re-use of isolated buildings and boosting housing supply outweighed the conflict with development plan policies on location and sustainable transport.
The limited adverse impact of reliance on private car travel and conflict with development plan policies on sustainable location was outweighed by the moderate benefit of adding a dwelling to address the significant housing shortfall and the moderate benefit of landscape enhancement, applying the presumption in favour of sustainable development under Framework paragraph 11(d).
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Strategy 7Strategy 5BStrategy 3Policy D8Policy TC2Strategy 47Policy TC2
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 232
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
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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.
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