March Cottage 27 Whitgreave Lane Great Bridgeford Stafford Staffordshire ST18 9SJ Data via plota.co.uk

26/41866/FUL - Full Application Refused

Proposal

Change of use to facilitate childcare services within the current lounge, second reception, utility, W.C. and part of hall, and associated parking within grounds. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
25 Feb 2026
✓
Validated
5 Jun 2026
✗
Refused
31 Jul 2026
Appeal
Not lodged

Refused on 31 Jul 2026 · Last checked 30 Sept 2026

Site constraints 3

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.
Habitat network: Network Expansion Zone
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
National infrastructure project 762 m away: Stafford Area Improvements - Norton Bridge Railway
The site is 762 m from the project boundary. Railway, decided. The project page says whether consent was granted.
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 ↗
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, 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.

Sales history 4

Last sold for £950,000 in August 2025. Other property, freehold.

More than one property is recorded at this address: HM Land Registry does not always give the flat or unit.

29 August 2025£950,000Recorded as a transfer outside a standard sale
12 July 2011£550,000Detached house
22 January 2007£445,000Detached house
23 January 2004£357,000Detached house

Sale prices from HM Land Registry's price paid record, matched to this application by its address.

Building

Floor area295 m² (3,175 sq ft)
Energy ratingC (73 out of 100)
PropertyDetached house, 7 habitable rooms
BuiltBefore 1900
HeatingBoiler and underfloor heating, oil
WallsSolid brick, with internal insulation

From the energy performance certificate lodged in July 2024, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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Important details

Council
Stafford
Application type
Full Application
Postcode
ST18 9SJ
Received
25 Feb 2026
Validated
5 Jun 2026
Ward
Seighford And Church Eaton
Parish
Seighford
Case officer
Show
Decision
Refusal
Decision date
31 Jul 2026
Applicant
Show
Agent
Croft Architecture Ltd

How this decision compares

Decided in 56 days from validation, 21 days faster than Stafford's median of 77 for changes of use. Refused, as 25% of changes of use here are.

43%decided within 8 weeks
75%approved
5%go to committee

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

Public comments

5comments received
5 supporting

100% support · above the UK average of 16%

9 neighbours consulted · Last counted 30 Sept 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Comments by
12 Aug 2026
Env. assessment
No
Stafford
Planning Authority Score
1.8/10
Poor
#278 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Stafford is one of the slowest councils in England for householder decisions, ranking #290 out of 296. 54% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (90%) than the national average (90%).

Among the slowest councils in England
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Stafford decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
84%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #227 of 296
90%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #195 of 296
26%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #290 of 296
54%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #245 of 296
72%
Minor dwellings approved
69 decided (1-9 homes)
75%
Major dwellings approved
8 decided (10+ homes)
81%
Change of use approved
26 decided
512
Total decisions
84 refused in the year to March 2026

Sale prices: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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.