Holiday let on farm near Wealden village turned down on appeal by planning inspector

In a decision notice published on Thursday (February 9), a planning inspector has dismissed plans to convert part of a large agricultural barn at Grove Farm in Howbourne Lane, creating a pair of new holiday lets within it.

The original application, which had seen objections from local resident and Buxted Parish Council, was refused by Wealden District Council planning officers in September 2021.

The proposals were partly refused because of their connection to a working farm site, which officers said would be ‘inharmonious’ with the holiday lets and result “in a poor and potentially unsafe visitor environment”.

This view was not shared by the planning inspector, who concluded that there was no substantive reason for considering the potential accommodation to be unsafe.

However, the inspector did raise concerns about the potential impact of the development on the Ashdown Forest Special Protection Area (SPA), saying there was no compelling evidence that it would not result in harm.

The inspector said: “The proposal would support the rural economy and there would be an economic benefit arising from the expenditure of future occupants. While these are acknowledged as benefits, given the scale of the development, they attract moderate weight and would not outweigh the harm identified above in respect of the SPA, to which I give substantial weight.

“While the proposal has been found to be policy compliant in other respects … these matters are neutral and do not weigh in favour of the development.

For further details see application reference WD/2021/0104/F on the Wealden District Council website.