Appeal Decision
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Appeal Decision Site visit made on 8 October 2018 by Graham Chamberlain BA (Hons) MSc MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 17th October 2018 Appeal Ref: APP/U1430/W/18/3201084 Netherhay Barn, Whatlington Road, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0NA The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a refusal to grant planning permission. The appeal is made by Mr and Mrs A McFaite against the decision of Rother District Council. The application Ref RR/2018/285/P, dated 15 January 2018, was refused by notice dated 12 March 2018. The development proposed is described as ‘proposed dwelling to replace redundant barn’. Decision 1. The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for a dwelling to replace a redundant barn at Netherhay Barn, Whatlington Road, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0NA, in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref: RR/2018/285/P, dated 15 January 2018, subject to the conditions in the schedule at the end of this decisison. Main Issues 2. The main issues in this appeal are: Whether the proposed development would be in a suitable location, with particular reference to policies concerned with housing in rural areas and the accessibility of services and facilities; and The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, including the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Reasons Whether the proposed development would be in a suitable location 3. Policy OSS3 of the Rother Local Plan Core Strategy 2014 (CS) addresses the location of development and states that planning applications should be considered in the context of the spatial strategy for the area. In this instance, the appeal site is located outside the settlement boundary of Battle and is within the countryside for the purposes of applying the policies in the CS. 4. Policy RA3 of the CS states that new housing in the countryside will be allowed in extremely limited circumstances. These include rural workers dwellings, the conversion of traditional rural buildings, replacement dwellings and rural exception sites providing affordable housing. The appeal scheme would not be https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate Appeal Decision APP/U1430/W/18/3201084 any of the types of development where the principle is exceptionally permitted in the countryside by Policy RA3. As such, the proposal would not be in a suitable location when applying policies concerned with housing in rural areas. 5. Thus, the proposal would be at odds with, and harmfully undermine, the adopted and evidenced based spatial strategy for rural housing in the development plan and the consistency and relative certainty that should flow from a plan led approach to the location of new development. The accessibility of services and facilities 6. The appeal site is located on the periphery of Battle. The Council suggests it is approximately 1.5 miles away from the town centre. It would be possible for future occupants of the appeal property to walk from the appeal site into the town centre and much of the route would be along a pavement that can be joined at Oakhurst Road. However, given the distance, which would be considerable for a return trip, it is unlikely to be a regular occurrence. Moreover, the first section of the route has no pavement and this may further discourage walking. 7. Cycling into the town centre, or to the rail station, could be an option as the distances travelled would not be too onerous. However, future occupants may not have a sufficient level of confidence, fitness and proficiency for this mode of transport to be relied upon as an alternative to travel by a private motorised vehicle. There is a bus stop located about 600 metres away from the appeal site but I have no reason to disagree with the Council’s evidence that suggests the frequency of the bus service is limited. 8. In light of the foregoing, the appeal site is not well placed, relative to services and facilities, to accommodate a new dwelling. This is because the future occupants would be predisposed to travel by private motorised transport. Such journeys to the facilities in the town would be short in duration but daily vehicle movements would soon add up to a high number of miles travelled with the associated carbon emissions. 9. However, the appeal site is already driven to by the appellants twice a day in order to tend to their horses. The erection of the appeal property would extinguish the need for these trips. I accept that the appellant may not ultimately live in the property but I consider this to be unlikely as it has been designed to meet there needs and to allow them to be close to their horses. As such, the erection of a dwelling would reduce some existing vehicle movements and this would offset some of those that would be come about through the occupation of the proposed dwelling. 10. In conclusion, the appeal site is not well placed for future residents to access everyday services and facilities other than by traveling via private motorised transport. This would harmfully undermine Policy TR3 of CS, which seeks to minimise the need to travel. Nevertheless, the harmful impact is partially off- set by the potential for future occupants to occasionally walk or cycle into the town (or cycle to the rail station) and the proposal would remove some of the daily vehicle movements that already exist. These factors moderately temper the harm that would arise from the conflict with Policy TR3. https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2 Appeal Decision APP/U1430/W/18/3201084 The impact on the character and appearance of the area 11. The appeal site is located towards the edge of Battle and is accessed from Whatlington Road, which is characterised by loosely arranged and irregularly sited ribbon development. The appeal site is therefore partially viewed as being on the edge of an existing pocket of development, including a large dwelling to its immediate south. 12. There are a number of structures within the appeal site including two modern barns, a stable and riding arena. The buildings are surrounded by hardstanding, vehicles and paraphernalia1 and there is daily activity. As such, the site already has a developed appearance, including a long gravel driveway and formal access off the public highway. Some of these features are common components of a residential development and this would considerably limit any urbanising impacts flowing from the appeal scheme. 13. The proposal is for the erection of a detached dwelling in the location of an existing barn and therefore the proposal would not result in development in a position where there is none currently. There is some low level storage in the barn but it otherwise appears redundant. The proportions of the dwelling would reflect the depth of the existing barn and the width would be slightly greater. The height increase would be moderate because the first floor would be accommodated in the roof. As such, the siting and massing of the proposed dwelling would not be a significant departure from that of the existing barn. This would soften the impact on the wider landscape and minimise the sense that there had been an urbanisation of the site. 14. In addition the appearance of the dwelling would be reminiscent of a traditional barn with a simple rectangular plan, low eaves and double height porch. The barn concept would be undermined to an extent by the presence of a chimney, Juliet balcony, yellow Cedral weatherboarding and dormer window, which are overtly domestic features. But overall the concept would assist in settling the building into the landscape, especially if sensitive and locally appropriate external materials are used. This can be controlled through the imposition of a planning condition. 15. The appeal site is not particularly visible from Whatlington Road or nearby properties due to the distance, topography and intervening landscaping. The proposed dwelling would be more visible from the adjoining public footpath but views of it from this direction would be significantly softened by the presence of the dense hedge along the western boundary of the appeal site, which includes a belt of evergreen planting. 16. Given the existing built character of the appeal site and its environs, the modest scale and massing of the dwelling relative to the existing building, the barn style proposed and the presence of dense boundary landscaping, I do not consider the proposal would harm the character and appearance of the area or the landscape character and scenic beauty of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Council has not directed me to any part of the High Weal AONB Management Plan that would suggest otherwise. 17. In conclusion, the proposal would have a neutral impact on the character and appearance of the area and therefore a conflict with Policies OSS4, BA1, RA3 1 Including tools, logs and some building materials https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 3 Appeal Decision APP/U1430/W/18/3201084 and EN1 would not occur. These policies seek to secure development that does not detract from the character and appearance of the locality, the setting of the town and provide stewardship to the distinctive local landscape. Planning Balance 18. The Council cannot currently demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply as required to by the revised National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework). The Council have confirmed that the housing supply is 3.44 years, which is low. Thus, Paragraph 11d) of the Framework is engaged as an important material consideration. As I have not identified harm to the AONB landscape, the application of policies in the Framework aimed at protecting them do not provide a clear reason for refusing the development proposed.