Land to the north of Church Lane, Littleham, EX39 5HR

residential development with associated works

Authority: Torridge
Appeal type: Planning
Procedure: Written
Development: residential
Postcode: EX39 5HR

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, the proposed land use, and the amount of development

What decided it

The site's poor access to services and facilities by sustainable transport modes, combined with the absence of demonstrated local housing need, means the location is unsuitable for residential development and the adverse impacts of unsustainable growth outweigh the benefits of housing delivery.

The social benefits of housing delivery (significant weight) and modest economic benefits were outweighed by the significant weight given to the conflict with sustainable development principles arising from poor access to services and facilities by sustainable transport modes, resulting in adverse impacts that significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.

Framework references: 11, 115, 135

Plan policies cited: Policy ST07, Policy DM24, Policy ST18, Policy ST19, Policy ST17, Policy ST10, Policy DM06, Policy DM05, Policy DM02, Policy ST01

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.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.