Land At Grid Reference 239547 123390 Fairy Cross Devon Data via plota.co.uk

1/0220/2026/FUL - Full Application Approved

Proposal

Temporary agricultural workers dwelling Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
17 Mar 2026
✓
Validated
14 Apr 2026
✓
Committee
30 Jul 2026
✓
Consultation
6 Aug 2026
✓
Approved
6 Aug 2026

Approved on 6 Aug 2026 · Committee Decision · Last checked 7 Aug 2026

Planning committee

Decided by Torridge Plans Committee on 30 Jul 2026.

Approved

Against officer advice: officers had recommended refusal.

  • Officers advised refusal because the functional and financial evidence was insufficient and the access raised serious highway safety concerns.
  • The parish council raised pollution, waste, slurry and road safety concerns, while speakers addressed the committee both against and in support.
  • The committee approved the application by five votes to four, subject to an agricultural occupancy restriction and temporary time limit.
Read how the committee decided The proposed dwelling, site history, officers’ assessment, consultation responses, public speakers, committee debate, vote and decision.

Source: Plota analysis of Torridge's committee minutes of 30 Jul 2026.

Site constraints 4

Agricultural land, grade 3a
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.
Also on the record
National landscape 193 m away: North Devon; Nature improvement area: Northern Devon; Heritage coast 193 m away: Hartland (Devon).
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No listed building at the site

Checked on 11 September 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

Council
Torridge
Application type
Full Application
Received
17 Mar 2026
Validated
14 Apr 2026
Ward
Monkleigh And Putford
Parish
Alwington
Case officer
Show
Target decision
9 Jun 2026
Decision
Application Approved
Decision date
6 Aug 2026
Decision level
Committee Decision
Applicant
Show
Agent
Robert H Hicks & Co

How this decision compares

Decided in 114 days from validation, 65 days slower than Torridge's median of 49 for agricultural works. Approved, as 91% of agricultural works here are.

73%decided within 8 weeks
91%approved
133decided in the last year

Plota live figures for agricultural works decided by Torridge in the last twelve months, from validation. Torridge decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

3 neighbours consulted · Last counted 7 Aug 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14714899
Neighbours
14 Apr 2026
Consultation
6 Aug 2026
Comments by
8 May 2026
Site or press notice
11 May 2026
Committee
30 Jul 2026
Env. assessment
No
Torridge
Planning Authority Score
7.6/10
Good
#40 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Torridge is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #55 out of 296. Householder applications are more likely to be approved here than most councils, with a 98% approval rate vs 90% nationally.

More permissive than most councils
98% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Torridge decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
87%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #184 of 296
98%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #25 of 296
78%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #55 of 296
38%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #133 of 296
72%
Minor dwellings approved
155 decided (1-9 homes)
85%
Major dwellings approved
13 decided (10+ homes)
82%
Change of use approved
11 decided
554
Total decisions
71 refused in the year to March 2026