We are delighted that a Planning Inspector has dismissed an appeal by the Christie Estate for outline permission to build a cluster of new houses in the village on a site that locals said was highly unsuitable for numerous environmental and heritage reasons.
Last year, Westleigh residents in North Devon successfully opposed an outline planning application to construct nine houses on agricultural land just outside Westleigh’s Conservation Area (WCA), saying that the construction phase alone would ‘cause havoc’ in the settlement of just 69 homes, threatening the precarious existence of the community’s village hall, as well as the Grade-II-listed thatched dwelling known as Rock Cottage. They also argued that it would destroy a traditional Devon Bank hedge, a habitat frequented by ten species of bat, four of them endangered.
To the delight of villagers and Devon CPRE, North Devon District Council resoundingly refused the initial planning application, deeming it an unsuitable location for new open-market residential development that would not meet local housing need and would cause harm to the character and appearance of the area.
The Christie Estate subsequently appealed against the council’s decision (Appeal Ref 6003960) and submitted slightly modified plans, including reducing the house at the entrance of the development to a single-storey to make it less overbearing and to mitigate the impact on Rock Cottage.
The Planning Inspector’s decision to dismiss the appeal has now been made public – to the delight of Devon CPRE, Westleigh Parish Council and local residents.
Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills says, “We have supported the villagers of Westleigh from the start in opposing this planning application, and the inspector’s ruling demonstrates that the planning system still has the power to preserve important landscape and heritage assets, despite the relentless political drive to build, build, build. This is a first-class example of why CPRE was founded 100 years ago and has campaigned relentlessly for all the protections that rural areas now rely on for their preservation. The main reasons the Inspector rejected the appeal related to damage to the setting of the listed cottage, the adjacent lane and an established hedge, as well as to the wider conservation area. We couldn’t agree more.”
Summarising the decision to dismiss the appeal, the Inspector stated, “Weighing against the proposal, the development would be contrary to the local development strategy, would be reliant upon the use of the car, harm the significance of a listed building and setting of the WCA, and harm the character and appearance of the wider area… planning decisions should guide development towards sustainable solutions whilst reflecting the character of an area and conserving and enhancing the historic environment.”