Plans for housing on Ninfield brownfield site refused on appeal by planning inspector

In a decision notice published on Friday (February 3), a planning inspector has dismissed proposals to build a pair of semi-detached houses at Marlpits Yard — a storage yard for building materials in Marlpits Lane.

The original scheme was refused by Wealden planning officers in April last year, primarily due to concerns about its ‘unsustainable’ location, but also its potential impact on the appearance of the area.

The applicant disputed this view, arguing that the development would be more sustainable than its current use and would prevent a vacant site from becoming an unsightly ‘blot on the landscape’. They also pointed to the council’s lack of a five year supply of housing land, saying this should have weighed in favour of the application.

Ultimately, however, the inspector shared the council’s concerns. In their decision notice, the inspector wrote: “There would be an unacceptably harmful impact in allowing the appeal because future occupiers of the proposed dwellings would be overly reliant on the use of private vehicles to access services.

“The provision of two houses to help address the shortfall in housing delivery, the reuse of a brownfield site that may be vacant in the near future, potential reduction in vehicular trips to the site, increased employment during the construction phase and increased council tax receipts, alongside an increase in the local population to help improve the vitality of local services, are benefits which weigh in favour of the scheme.

“However, given the relatively modest scale of the development, these benefits are limited.”