®Planning appeal decision
Land West of Spratts Farm, Queenborough Road, Southminster, CM0 7AD
Planning appeal 6005664 at Land West of Spratts Farm, Queenborough Road, Southminster, CM0 7AD (Maldon) was allowed on 18 August 2026 by Inspector Nick Fagan, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposed development would result in unacceptable landscape and visual impacts or harm to the character and appearance of the area.
Outline planning application for the demolition of number 46 Queenborough Road and the erection of up to 110 dwellings (including affordable housing), with public open space, structural planting, landscaping, sustainable drainage system (SuDS) and vehicular access point. All matters to be reserved, except for means of access
- Authority
- Maldon
- Appeal type
- major · Planning
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential
- Inspector
- Nick Fagan
- Postcode
- CM0 7AD
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed development would result in unacceptable landscape and visual impacts or harm to the character and appearance of the area.
- Whether it would be likely to result in unacceptable noise impacts to the occupiers of No 48 Queenborough Road.
- The planning balance of benefits against any harms, when assessed against Policy S5 (Principle of development outside settlements) of the new revised NPPF.
What decided it
The proposal's compliance with new NPPF Policy S5, engaged because the Council could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, meant its benefits were not significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the identified harms.
the substantial weight given to market and affordable housing delivery, together with other benefits, was not significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the moderate landscape harm and the less than substantial harm to the setting of the Grade II listed Spratt's Farmhouse, such that the proposal complied with Policy S5 and constituted sustainable development
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy S1Policy S2Policy S8Policy D1Policy D2Policy D3Policy D5Policy H2Policy H4Policy T2Policy N2
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 187Paragraph 215Paragraph 11Paragraph 119Policy S5Policy S3Policy N2Policy P3Policy HE6Policy HO1
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.