Decision details

This decision is taken under delegated powers set out in Paragraph 145 of the Officer Scheme of Delegation in the Council’s constitution, which grants delegated authority to undertake all action in order to regulate any actual, perceived or potential breach of any of the Town and Country Planning Legislation including:

To determine whether or not to take and/or to cease action whether because in his/her opinion the breach is trivial, there is insufficient demonstrable harm and/or, it is not expedient to take / continue to take action

This authority has been delegated to me through the Local Scheme of Nomination for the Executive Director for Place.

North End Farm is a complex that advertises many former farm buildings as holiday Accommodation. The main farmhouse is Grade II listed and is a substantial holiday let, the Old Cricket Pavilion is also a Holiday Let, The Old Dairy and The Cider House are all Holiday Lets. The North end Cabin which is subject of the complaint is a scratch built mobile home in a small field close the Main Farmhouse. The owner contends that it is an ancillary structure associated with and within the curtilage of the main farmhouse which is a holiday let and not in a separate agricultural field. The owner has been requested to submit a retrospective application for a material change of use but has to date not submitted one as he does not think it is necessary.

As the owner has not summitted a planning application, and the mobile home is a small addition to a complex of holiday lets, it is sited in open countryside and there have been no further complaints since the original report. The assessment of harm is low.

Volume of enforcement queries is currently high and officers must prioritise significant planning harm cases. Due to this matter being of low significance planning harm, it is not expedient to pursue and Government guidance suggests that LPA’s should act in a proportionate way and take enforcement action in the public interest. That is not considered to be the case here though the contravener will be contacted and advised this may affect their ability to sell the property in the future.

N/A