Willow Park Barrow Road Hargrave Suffolk IP29 5HF Data via plota.co.uk

DC/25/2009/P3CMA - Prior Approval Commercial to Dwelling Approved

Proposal

Prior approval application under Part 3 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 - change of use from commercial/business/service to one dwelling (class C3) Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
17 Dec 2025
✓
Consultation
2 Mar 2026
✓
Approved
24 Mar 2026

Approved on 24 Mar 2026 · Delegated · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

Site constraints 1

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) agrees.
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.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No listed building at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. 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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Important details

Application type
Prior Approval Commercial to Dwelling
Postcode
IP29 5HF
Received
17 Dec 2025
Validated
17 Dec 2025
Ward
Chedburgh And Chevington
Parish
Hargrave
Case officer
Show
Target decision
3 Apr 2026
Decision
Approve application
Decision date
24 Mar 2026
Decision level
Delegated
Agent
KWA Architects (Cambridge) Ltd

How this decision compares

Decided in 97 days from validation, 56 days slower than West Suffolk's median of 41 for prior approvals. Approved, as 89% of prior approvals here are.

89%decided within 8 weeks
89%approved
53decided in the last year

Plota live figures for prior approvals decided by West Suffolk in the last twelve months, from validation. West Suffolk decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

5 neighbours consulted · Last counted 3 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14551538
Planning Portal ref
PP-14551538
Consultation
2 Mar 2026
Comments by
16 Mar 2026
Site or press notice
7 Jan 2026
Statutory expiry
11 Feb 2026
Env. assessment
No
West Suffolk
Planning Authority Score
4.3/10
Below average
#186 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

West Suffolk is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #208 out of 296. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (95%) than the national average (90%).

Slower than most councils
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
West Suffolk decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
91%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #104 of 296
95%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #95 of 296
56%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #208 of 296
46%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #204 of 296
64%
Minor dwellings approved
96 decided (1-9 homes)
90%
Major dwellings approved
10 decided (10+ homes)
84%
Change of use approved
51 decided
1,018
Total decisions
91 refused in the year to March 2026