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Allowed3 August 20266005835

Rainbow Cottage, Church Lane, Laughton, BN8 6AH

Planning appeal 6005835 at Rainbow Cottage, Church Lane, Laughton, BN8 6AH (Wealden District Council) was allowed on 3 August 2026 by Inspector R Lawrence, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether or not the relevant conditions are reasonable or necessary, having regard to the location of the site and its suitability for a residential dwelling, together with whether the loss of the holiday accommodation has been suitably justified.

variation of condition 9 of WD/2021/2922/F, varied by WD/2024/1408/FA, to allow the addition of an air source heat pump to the south-east elevation and realignment of the driveway and parking, without complying with conditions 3, 5, 6 and 7 attached to planning permission ref WD/2024/1408/FA, dated 29 August 2024

Authority
Wealden District Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning
Procedure
Written
Development
residential
Inspector
R Lawrence
Postcode
BN8 6AH

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Whether or not the relevant conditions are reasonable or necessary, having regard to the location of the site and its suitability for a residential dwelling, together with whether the loss of the holiday accommodation has been suitably justified

What decided it

The proposal would make effective use of an existing building and deliver an additional dwelling in an authority experiencing a considerable housing land supply shortfall, which benefits outweighed the limited harm arising from conflict with the spatial strategy and Policy SPO7.

The limited weight attached to the conflict with the spatial strategy and Policy SPO7 was outweighed by the significant benefits of making effective use of an existing building and contributing an additional dwelling to the housing stock in an authority unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy WCS6Policy GD2Policy DC17Policy SPO1Policy SPO2Policy SPO7Policy TM1Policy SPO13Policy WCS14Policy EN8Policy EN27

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. Dismissed23 October 20266011286
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  3. Dismissed6 October 20266011082
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  4. Notice varied and upheld28 September 20263356589
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  5. Dismissed25 September 20266009517
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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.

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.