Blackbrook Stud Farm, Ivy Lodge Road, Great Horkesley Colchester CO6 4EN Data via plota.co.uk

260806 - Full (8 Week Determination) Approved

Proposal

Retrospective application for relocation of existing yurt (Roundhouse)to eastern garden and regularisation of existing shepherd's hut(Back in Thyme), including use of existing parking and connection to existing drainage infrastructure. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
1 May 2026
✓
Validated
15 May 2026
✓
Approved
17 Sept 2026

Approved on 17 Sept 2026 · Last checked 24 Sept 2026

Site constraints 5

Public footpath 15 m away
Matters where it crosses or adjoins the site: obstructing a path without a diversion order is an offence, and work cannot start until the order is confirmed.
Compiled from highway authority data, not the legal definitive map. A few authorities have not published, so no path shown is not proof there is none.
Agricultural land, grade 2
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s), which most planning maps still show, had this area as grade 3. The predicted grade is Defra's current estimate; only a site survey settles it.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
National infrastructure project 212 m away: Norwich to Tilbury
The site is 212 m from the project boundary. Electricity line, examination closed, recommendation due.
Nationally significant infrastructure projects (power stations, electricity lines, pipelines, major roads and railways, harbours, airports and reservoirs) are consented by a Secretary of State under the Planning Act 2008, after an examination by the Planning Inspectorate, rather than by the council. The boundary is the one the Inspectorate consults on and can change as the scheme does. Projects are shown within 2 km of the site.
Planning Inspectorate project page ↗
1 listed building within 150 m
Nearest: Otters Brook Cottage, Grade II, 51 m away
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Priority habitat 23 m away: Deciduous woodland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Planning Inspectorate and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

Building

Floor area323 m² (3,477 sq ft)
Energy ratingD (63 out of 100), could reach C
PropertyDetached house, 14 habitable rooms
Built1930 to 1949
HeatingBoiler and radiators, oil
WallsCavity wall, as built, no insulation (assumed)

From the energy performance certificate lodged in April 2015, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

Work with planning data?

Every application in Colchester - and every UK council - as a live feed, an API, or a bulk CSV export.

About Plota's data service

Important details

Council
Colchester
Application type
Full (8 Week Determination)
Postcode
CO6 4EN
Received
1 May 2026
Validated
15 May 2026
Ward
Rural North
Parish
Great Horkesley
Case officer
Show
Target decision
18 Sept 2026
Decision
Approve Conditional
Decision date
17 Sept 2026
Applicant
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 125 days from validation, 69 days slower than Colchester's median of 56 for extensions. Approved, as 84% of extensions here are.

66%decided within 8 weeks
84%approved
437decided in the last year

Plota live figures for extensions decided by Colchester in the last twelve months, from validation. Colchester decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Comments by
9 Jun 2026
Colchester
Planning Authority Score
6.2/10
Average
#91 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Colchester is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #43 out of 296. Only 27% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Colchester is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 84% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 84% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Colchester decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
82%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #245 of 296
84%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #255 of 296
79%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #43 of 296
27%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #39 of 296
67%
Minor dwellings approved
69 decided (1-9 homes)
85%
Major dwellings approved
13 decided (10+ homes)
75%
Change of use approved
89 decided
1,074
Total decisions
188 refused in the year to March 2026

Freehold boundary: © Crown copyright and database rights 2026, HM Land Registry. Polygons © Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey 100026316. Conditions of use

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.