Plans for a rural housing development near Five Ashes have been turned down at appeal.
In a decision notice published last week, a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal connected with plans to build two houses on a plot of land to the rear of The Paddock — a bungalow fronting the A272.
The original application, which sought in-principle permission for the development, had been refused by Wealden District Council in August last year due to concerns about its “unsustainable” location and impact on the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
In a report at the time, a council planning spokesman said: “Notwithstanding the attempts to show indicatively a low level, ‘in the ground’ form of development, residential development on the site would still be likely to be prominent in the public realm and would lead to a more intensive use of the undeveloped land for residential purposes … and would contribute to the consolidation of the sparse and sporadic pattern of development in the area and undermine its rural, relatively tranquil and verdant character.
“The provision of two units would be particularly urbanising and out of character. The proposal would be harmful to the character of the area and fail to conserve or enhance the natural beauty and landscape character of the High Weald AONB.”
Wealden planning officers, who had refused the scheme using delegated powers, also raised concerns about its location, saying future residents would likely be reliant on private cars to access local services.
The developer disputed the council’s decision, arguing that the district’s shortage of housing meant the scheme should have benefitted from the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The inspector put weight on this argument, but ultimately judged the scheme’s impact on the AONB and modest scale of development weighed against the proposals.
In their decision notice, the inspector wrote: “I have found the failure of the appeal scheme to conserve and enhance the AONB to provide clear reason to refuse the development proposed.
“As such, paragraph 11d(ii) of the NPPF, which requires development be approved unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, is not engaged.
“Notwithstanding the above, the benefits of the scheme are material in my determination. The proposal would yield a net gain of two new houses towards the government’s aim of significantly boosting supply and improve the current shortfall in the district’s housing land supply.
“The benefits of housing delivery carry significant weight, but are tempered by the modest scale of the scheme.”
In light of this view, the inspector dismissed the appeal.
For further details of the proposals see application reference WD/2023/1871/PIP on the Wealden District Council website.
