Inspector dismisses Bexhill new build home appeal

In a decision published on Monday (January 31), a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal against a Rother District Council decision to refuse planning permission for a new build home in the garden of a property in Peartree Lane.

The application, which was in outline with all matters reserved apart from access, was refused in June last year, on the grounds it would “result in a contrived and cramped form of development which would be out of keeping and detrimental to the appearance and character of the surrounding area.”

The applicant disagreed with this assessment, however, saying the downsides identified by planning officers were ‘subjective’ and that the site was sufficient for a small two-bedroom property.

During the appeal process, the applicant also offered an alternative indicative layout to show how the building could be accommodated. 

This, the applicant said, should be approved given the council’s lack of a five-year housing supply.

This view was not shared by the planning inspector however, who concluded that the site would harm the character and appearance of the area.

In their report, the inspector said:  “The [National Planning Policy] Framework also states that good design is a key aspect of sustainable development and offers support for the provision of residential development on windfall sites where they are well located and designed, and where they will be visually attractive, sympathetic to local character, and function well and add to the overall quality of the area. 

“It is therefore sufficiently clear that the adverse impacts of granting permission for the proposal would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the framework taken as a whole. “

For further details of the proposals, see application RR/2021/484/P on the Rother District Council website.