Wills Ayley Farm Sewards End, CB10 2LT

Notification for Prior Approval for a Proposed Change of Use of Agricultural Buildings to Two Dwellings (Class C3), Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 Schedule 2, Part 3, Class Q

Planning, Design & Access Statement

March 2021

Keymer Cavendish Limited Planning & Development Consultants

Frolic Farm, Lode, Cambridge CB25 9HF Telephone: 01223 811303 Mobile: 07836 727377 Email: [email protected]

Wills Ayley Farm, Sewards End

Contents

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Location and Background

3.0 National Planning Policy and Permitted Development

4.0 Local Planning Policy

5.0 Site and Structure of Existing Buildings

6.0 Preliminary Risk Assessment

7.0 Traffic and Access

8.0 Ecology

9.0 Proposed Accommodation

10.0 Services and Utilities

11.0 Flood Risk

12.0 Noise Impact

13.0 Conclusion

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1.0 Introduction

1.1 This statement supports proposals to convert farm buildings at Wills Ayley Farm to residential use under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) [PD] Order 2015 Schedule 2, Part 3, Class Q. . 1.2 A previous consent under Class Q was granted for the roadside barn in 2018 (281 square metres).

2.0 Location and Background

2.1 Wills Ayley Farm is situated outside the village of Sewards End, three kilometres to the east of Saffron Walden. The farm is surrounded by arable farmland. 2.2 With regard to the criteria for Class Q conversion (Q1): [a] The site was used solely for agricultural purposes as part of an established agricultural unit on 20 March 2013 [d] There never has been nor is there an agricultural tenancy [j] The site is not designated as Article 2(3) land – ie it is not in a Conservation Area or an AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty) [k] the site is not an SSSI (site of special scientific interest] or a safety hazard area or a military explosives storage area) [l] The site does not comprise or contain a scheduled monument 2.3 In the 11th century Sewards End did not exist as a defined community. At that time there were four smaller communities, around which would eventually become Sewards End. The most influential at that time was Wills Ayley, where the Monks from Saffron Walden were granted 60 acres of land in 1070. 2.4 Wills Ayley farm has been in the ownership of the Goddard family for 70 years. The farm totals 60 hectares (146 acres) owned directly, but serves 121 hectares (300 acres). The farm complex includes a red brick farmhouse, a pair of cottages, which are Grade II listed, and a range of farm buildings. None of the farm buildings are listed.

2.5 Leaving the village in an eastwards direction towards Radwinter, Wills Ayley Farm can be found to the north of Radwinter Road. There is a long private access track with fields either side, heading in a straight line from Radwinter Road, leading to the cluster of buildings.

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2.6 Sewards End does not have any shops and services, but there is a very active range of activities operating from the village hall. These include yoga, tai chi, toddler group, carpet bowls, youth club, and so on. Saffron Walden is situated 3.4 kilometres away with its wide range of shops, services and facilities. Tesco supermarket is within easy cycling distance to augment online deliveries.

2.7 The nearest bus stop is by the village hall, 0.9 kilometres away. There is an excellent range of local bus services including to Saffron Walden and Haverhill.

2.8 All of these routes pass through Sewards End. This is within walking distance, along Wills Ayley Lane and Redgates Lane, a pleasant walk, or within easy cycling distance using the same route. See further details at section 7 of this report.

2.9 Audley End railway station, located 8.0 kilometres away, provides a large timetable of services to , Cambridge and many other local and national destinations.

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3.0 National Planning Policy

3.1 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2019 states: Para 79. Planning policies and decisions should avoid the development of isolated homes in the countryside unless one or more of the following circumstances apply:

c) the development would re-use redundant or disused buildings and enhance its immediate setting;

3.2 The National Planning Policy Practice Guidance Notes concerning Rural Housing (March 2014) states that: ‘It is important to recognise the particular issues facing rural areas in terms of housing supply and affordability, and the role of housing in supporting the broader sustainability of villages and smaller settlements.’

3.3 Additionally, Planning Practice Guidance (2020) (PPG) advises that the permitted development rights under Class Q do not require a test in terms of the sustainability of the location.

3.4 It continues to state that: ‘all settlements can play a role in delivering sustainable development in rural areas -and so blanket policies restricting housing development in some settlements and preventing other settlements from expanding should be avoided unless their use can be supported by robust evidence’.

3.5 Class Q Permitted Development Rights under the 2015 GDO currently allow agricultural barns up to a certain threshold to be converted to residential use.

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4.0 Local Planning Policy

4.1 The Adopted Local Plan is dated 2005, as the new Regulation 19 Local Plan 2018 which runs to 2033 has been directed to be withdrawn by the Planning inspectorate.

4.2 In a recent appeal decision in District, the Inspector said the Plan was ‘painfully out of date’. The Appeal Decision is summarised here.

Appeal Decision reference APP/C1570/W/19/3242550 Hearing held on 6 August 2020 ALLOWED

Inspector DM Young found that the Uttlesford Local Plan “was adopted seven years before the original National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) at a time when there was no requirement to boost significantly the supply of housing, no requirement to identify an objectively assessed need and no presumption in favour of sustainable development.”

He added: “The plan only covered the period to 2011 and consequently expired nearly ten years ago. As the appellants point out, the local plan has now been out of date for longer than it was in date."

Consequently, Mr Young continued, "There can be little doubt that the local plan is now painfully out of date in terms of its purpose, its strategy, its content and its housing delivery policies. It does not meet the [NPPF] requirement for the council to have an up-to-date plan and it is clearly not a strong foundation upon which to refuse planning permission."

5.0 Site and Structure of Existing Buildings

5.1 Structural integrity

A Structural Report on the buildings has been carried out by RCA Structural Engineers and is submitted with this application.

The report confirms that the buildings are structurally sound and capable of being converted.

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6.0 Contamination Assessment

6.1 A Preliminary Risk Assessment of the potential for contamination was undertaken and concluded:

The site has been in use as a farm from at least 1877. Surrounding land use has been predominantly rural in nature, comprising agricultural fields and isolated residential dwellings. This is not considered to present a potentially significant source of off-site contaminants.

6.2 The completed Land Contamination Checklist is submitted with this application.

7.0 Traffic and Access

7.1 The access would be from the B1053 Radwinter Road via the farm driveway. County Highways did not object to this arrangement in the previous planning application. In fact, they raised no objections to any aspect of highways and traffic in the previous application.

7.2 The nearest bus stop is by the village hall, 0.9 kilometres away. There is an excellent range of local bus services including to Saffron Walden and Haverhill. All of these routes pass through Sewards End. This is within walking distance, along Wills Ayley Lane and Redgates Lane, a pleasant walk, or within easy cycling distance using the same route.

7.3 In addition there is a demand response service operated within Uttlesford District, called DART1. Instead of using fixed routes, customers book journeys with the operator in advance and are picked up at an agreed point, which can be their own home. The service is funded by County Council and operated by Arrow Cars.

7.4 There is also the Uttlesford Community Travel Scheme which provides services to residents of Uttlesford who find it difficult to access normal public transport, the over 60s, disabled and those who are rurally isolated. It provides services to take people shopping, to the hairdressers, visit friends, appointments and so on.

7.5 Permitted development of farm buildings accepts that these will be in rural locations, and NPPF Paragraph 103 reminds us that opportunities to maximise sustainable transport solutions will vary between urban and rural areas

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8.0 Ecology

8.1 A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal incorporating Bat Survey Inspection of the site has been carried out by T4 Ecology of Malden and is summarised below. The full report is submitted with this application.

8.2 The search undertaken as part of the desk study concluded that the proposal would not be considered reasonably likely to have any adverse impact upon statutory and non-statutory designated locations.

8.3 In summary, the proposed development area comprises functional agricultural buildings situated within a hard-standing dominated farm yard setting.

8.4 It is considered and concluded that the proposal can proceed without adverse impacts upon legally protected/priority species and habitats provided the specific mitigatory guidance and enhancement recommendations identified within section 5.2 are fully adhered to. Where necessary, appropriately worded conditions should be placed upon any consent granted in order to ensure appropriate measures are followed.

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9.0 Proposed Accommodation

9.1 The proposal is for conversion of the barn and cart shed (identified as barn 1 in the accompanying reports) to two residential units. Plans and elevations are submitted with this application.

9.2 The barns are set within the farmyard along with the farm house and three existing dwellings

9.3 The buildings will be converted with sensitivity to avoid any overlooking of adjacent dwellings. The external dimensions of the buildings will not extend beyond the external dimensions of the existing buildings at any given point.

9.4 Existing brick walls will be retained. Windows will be replaced and new windows will be installed to ensure the provision of adequate natural light, but as explained above, in such a way as to avoid any risk of overlooking. Replacement roofing will be installed.

9.5 The design and external appearance of the dwellings will be consistent and compatible with the setting within the existing farmyard and dwellings.

9.6 Unit 1 – 175 square metres To be converted into a dwelling of 1.5 storeys comprising living/dining room, kitchen, utility, WC, three bedrooms and two. bathrooms to ground floor, and a sitting area/snug to the mezzanine level.

9.7 Unit 2 – 94 square metres To be converted to a single storey dwelling comprising living/dining room, kitchen, WC, two bedrooms and one bathroom.

9.8 The modern, large, metal frame barn is to be demolished. The old brick built element to the south west is to be retained and converted to form Unit 1.

9.9 To the east of the barn and adjoining is the cart shed which is metal frame with brickwork. This will be converted into Unit 2.

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10.0 Services and Utilities

10.1 Currently water and electricity services are connected to the buildings and other services can be extended via existing supplies to the farmhouse.

11.0 Flood Risk

11.1 The site is within flood zone 1 which indicates there is no risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Due to the size of the proposal no Flood Risk Assessment is required.

12.00 Noise impact

12.1 Noise impacts of the development will not exceed the day to day noise of farm machinery on the farmyard.

13.0 Conclusion

13.1 The barn adjacent to Wills Ayley Lane has already been converted under Class Q. This provides 281 square metres of accommodation.

13.2 The additional large barn now proposed for conversion under Permitted Development rights will provide 175 square metres, thus keeping the two large barns at 456 square metres, well below the 465 square metre threshold.

13.3 The officer’s delegated report on the previous application stated: ‘There are no objections raised regarding highway safety; contamination or ecology have not raised objections to the scheme and the scheme is not in a flood sensitive area. These elements weigh in the scheme’s favour.’

13.4 GDO 2015 establishes the principle of converting redundant barns to residential use.

13.5 We believe that the information and background provided complies with the criteria of a Class Q conversion and trust that the application will be determined accordingly.

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