Old Chase Farm Hyde Lane Danbury Chelmsford Essex CM3 4LP Data via plota.co.uk

26/00100/FUL Refused
Change of useCommercial & major worksCommercial premises

Proposal

Retrospective planning permission for operational development and change of use of land to self-storage container yard Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
22 Jan 2026
✗
Refused
18 Mar 2026
Appeal
Not lodged

Refused on 18 Mar 2026 · Last checked 6 Jul 2026

Documents

View the documents on the council's website ↗

Site constraints 5

In flood zones plus climate change
Inside the extent flood zones 2 and 3 could reach with climate change: the Central allowance for the 2080s on rivers, the Upper End allowance for sea level rise to 2125. From rivers. Defences are not counted.
The Environment Agency flood map for planning. Councils use it to decide when a flood risk assessment and the sequential test are needed. It is indicative and does not show whether a particular property will flood.
Flood map ↗
Habitat network: Network Enhancement Zone 1
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Also on the record
Inside the Gay Bowers built-up area; Priority habitat about 20 m away: No main habitat but additional habitats present; Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) had this area as grade 3, but it predates the buildings here and the current map does not class it as farmland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England 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.

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Nearby new applications

1 Oct 2026Pending

Old Chase Farm Hyde Lane Danbury Chelmsford Essex CM3 4LP

Demolition of existing workshop and erection of new workshop for B2 use ancillar...

26/01202/FUL
3 Sept 2026Pending

1 White Elm Cottages White Elm Road Bicknacre Chelmsford Essex CM3 4LR

Construction of self-build dwellinghouse.

26/01142/FUL

Important details

Council
Chelmsford
Postcode
CM3 4LP
Received
22 Jan 2026
Validated
22 Jan 2026
Target decision
19 Mar 2026
Decision date
18 Mar 2026

How this decision compares

Decided in 55 days from validation, about the council's usual 56 days. Refused, as 31% of changes of use here are.

57%decided within 8 weeks
69%approved
68decided in the last year

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Chelmsford in the last twelve months, from validation. Chelmsford decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14644348
Planning Portal ref
PP-14644348
Comments by
6 Mar 2026

Historical activity at this location

8 previous applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

This property

Previous applications at this address

2025 Refused
Retrospective planning permission for the change of use of land to self-storage container…
25/00933/FUL
2025
Retrospective application for 25 compound security columns and lights
25/00218/FUL
2021
Certificate of existing lawful development for external storage area - Class Use B8.
21/01068/CLEUD
2020 Refused
Proposed storage and manufacture of fencing and associated materials to be covered under…
20/01675/CLOPUD
2020 Refused
Proposed storage and manufacture of fencing and associated materials to be covered under…
20/01675/CLOPUD
2016 Refused
Outline Planning application for 59 dwellings and a shop unit with all matters reserved.
16/00129/OUT
Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2018 Approved
Site At Hyde Farm Nursery Hyde Lane Danbury Chelmsford Essex
Condition 10(a) - Contamination
18/01092/DOC/3
2016 Approved
Hydecroft Hyde Lane Danbury Chelmsford Essex CM3 4LP
Conversion of a garage/stables into a residential annexe.
16/01585/CLOPUD
Chelmsford
Planning Authority Score
7.4/10
Good
#45 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Chelmsford is one of the fastest councils in England for householder decisions, ranking #23 out of 296. Only 21% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (90%) than the national average (90%).

Among the fastest councils in England
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Chelmsford decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
87%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #167 of 296
90%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #188 of 296
84%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #23 of 296
21%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #19 of 296
76%
Minor dwellings approved
164 decided (1-9 homes)
88%
Major dwellings approved
8 decided (10+ homes)
79%
Change of use approved
52 decided
1,304
Total decisions
168 refused in the year to March 2026
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings