Six homes at Land West Of Hingham Road, Great Ellingham

“The application seeks the erection of 6 No. dwellings and associated change of use of land from agricultural to residential amenity. Plot one would be positioned to the south-west corner of the site, with access taken directly from the shared driveway. The dwellinghouse would be ‘L’ shaped, with the garden positioned west.”

“A detached garage would be provided to the north-west of the plot, adjoined with that for Plot four. It would be constructed of dark cladding atop a red brick plinth and fully enclosed with vehicle access from the south and personnel door to the east. The dwelling would be link-attached with plot six to the south, by way of a covered walkway. Plot six would be of the same scale as plot five, with accommodation only at ground floor.”

“The application site comprises of a roughly rectangular parcel of land to the west of Hingham Road, which forms part of the wider Broadland Farm site. The site is largely utilised as part of the wider farming use, providing an area for the storage of vehicles and other associated paraphernalia. An earth bund is present roughly centrally within the site, orientated north-south, and the eastern edge of the site is largely laid to grass.”

“The main built form of Great Ellingham is a short distance to the south of the site, and that of Hingham a short distance to the north.”

“3PN/2022/0017/UC Prior Approval Given 05-08-22 Prior approval for change of use and conversion of three agricultural buildings to 5 dwelling houses (1 larger and 4 smaller), including land within the buildings' curtilage. Please see appended drawings for details. (The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) - Schedule 2, Part 3, Class Q.”

“Screening opinion - Demolish 4 poultry sheds & erect 3 replacement poultry sheds, agricultural barn & new vehicular access…”

“Neighbour objections have been submitted which raise concerns regarding the lack of buildings on the application site which can be brought forward as ‘conversion’ under class Q. Yes, it can be agreed that the current application site does not have any buildings present, however under the Class Q regulations it has no consideration on sustainability/location/amenity and the current scheme put forward does allow for these considerations hence why the positioning of the…”

“As such, whilst the overall footprint is marginally larger than the Class Q fallback position, and despite the lapsing of the previous Class Q approval, there would remain a lawful ability to implement a fallback position for the conversion of the buildings to eight dwellings.”

“The site is located away from Great Ellingham and is not connected by way of paved or lit footways. However, this would be the case with the dwellings that could be delivered by way of Class Q permitted development rights. As previously mentioned, the site could benefit from a total of eight dwellinghouses under the new Class Q regulations which could be delivered under permitted development.”

“Having regard to the above and the overall proposals individually and in combination with the Class Q fallback position, on balance, subject to conditions, the proposals would comply with Policies TR01 and TR02 of the adopted Breckland Local Plan (2023), and the policy guidance set out within the NPPF.”

“Nor can Class Q be used as a precedent. Relevant Case Law Supports the Council’s Policy Position 4.1 Wallington v SSCLG – Curtilage Must Be Proportionate This ruling prevents unjustified enlargement of domestic curtilage. Extending residential use across farmland directly conflicts with legal precedent.”

“The proposal comprises: • New, isolated, non infill countryside development • Outside settlement boundaries • Unsupported by policy • In conflict with both the settlement hierarchy and countryside protection objectives 6.”

“Members considered the matter and fully explored the details of the application in light of prevailing policies and guidance.”

“No representations were made in respect of this application.”

“DECISION: Members voted unanimously in support of the Officer’s recommendation of approval; subject to the conditions as listed in the report; and delegated authority be given to officers to:”