Planning & Design Practice are pleased to announce the approval of an outline application for the demolition of outbuildings including an old barn allowing the erection of a new home within the Derbyshire Green Belt.
The site is located in Heage, a village in the parish of Ripley in the Borough of Amber Valley. Although located on the outer edge of the settlement, the site also has a Green Belt designation. However, the site itself consisted of a previously developed piece of land with hard standing and a number of outbuildings, which had previously been used for chicken farming, stabling, storage and workshops in the last 50 years.
In the Green Belt, development is restricted in the National Planning Policy Framework, with exceptions including:
- The replacement of a building, provided the new building is in the same use and not materially larger than the one it replaces;
- Limited infilling in villages;
- Limited infilling or the partial or complete redevelopment of previously developed land, whether redundant or in continuing use (excluding temporary buildings), which would:
- Not have a greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt than the existing development; or
- Not cause substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt, where the development would re-use previously developed land and contribute to meeting an identified affordable housing need within the area of the local planning authority.
More specifically, Amber Valley Borough Council’s Local Plan includes a policy in which the replacement of existing dwellings is allowed in Green Belt, providing that it would not result in a disproportionate increase over the size of the original dwelling.
On behalf of our client, we applied for a bungalow which had the same floor area as the combined total of the outbuildings which were proposed to be demolished, sited in the same location as the largest outbuilding. The main arguments set forward were:
- There would not be a material increase in the footprint of the building on the site;
- It would be the limited infilling of a village; and
- It would also be the redevelopment of previously developed land.
The Council were accepting of the proposed development in principle, and with some minor design tweaks, were happy to approve the outline application.
Other considerations for the proposed development included access from the highway, impact on the character of the area, and the impact on neighbouring amenity.
Securing Green Belt development
We have lots of experience as a practice in successful applications and appeals for Green Belt development, often providing both the planning and architecture services. For more information on the team, and our services, or to arrange for a no obligation consultation to discuss your project please contact us on 01332 347371 or enquiries@planningdesign.co.uk.
Emily Anderson, Planner, Planning & Design Practice
