Ashdown Farm, Hartfield Road, Forest Row, RH18 5JZ Data via plota.co.uk

WD/2025/2810/P02 - PD Change of use from Agricultural to Flexible Uses Approved

Proposal

Change of use of barn from agriculture to storage. Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
10 Dec 2025
✓
Validated
15 Dec 2025
✓
Approved
9 Feb 2026

Approved on 9 Feb 2026 · Delegated · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

Documents 11

Decision & officer reports 2

PDF Decision Notice Document · 9 Feb 2026 View ↗ PDF Officer Report Document · 9 Feb 2026 View ↗

Plans & drawings 1

PDF Site Plan Document · 15 Dec 2025 View ↗

Application forms 1

PDF Application Form Document · 15 Dec 2025 View ↗

Consultation & comments 2

PDF Consultee Response Document · 23 Dec 2025 View ↗ PDF Consultee Response Document · 22 Dec 2025 View ↗

Other documents 5

PDF Photos Document · 15 Dec 2025 View ↗ PDF Photos Document · 15 Dec 2025 View ↗ PDF Planning History Document · 11 Dec 2025 View ↗ PDF Planning History Document · 11 Dec 2025 View ↗ PDF Planning History Document · 11 Dec 2025 View ↗

All documents on the council site ↗

Site constraints 3

High Weald National Landscape
Great weight to conserving the landscape; major development restricted.
Previously an area of outstanding natural beauty, which is still the designation in law. Since 2023 authorities must seek to further its purpose, not merely have regard to it.
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.
Habitat network: Network Enhancement Zone 2
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument 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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Other new applications on this street

21 Oct 2026Pending

26 HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5DY

TWO-STOREY REAR EXTENSION TO PROVIDE ONE ADDITIONAL TREATMENT ROOM FOR THE EXIST...

WD/2026/2024/F
15 Oct 2026Pending

ASHDOWN HOUSE SCHOOL, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JY

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF DETAILS RESERVED BY CONDITIONS 10 (Construction Mana...

WD/2026/2090/CD
7 Sept 2026Pending

RYSTWOOD FARM, HARTFIELD ROAD, COLEMANS HATCH, FOREST ROW, RH18 5NE

COVERED EXTENSION TO EXISTING AGRICULTURAL BARN

WD/2026/1801/F
17 Aug 2026Approved

NEWLANDS PLACE, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5DQ

WORK AS PER SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO REGULATIONS DESIGNATED FOREST ROW CONSERVATION A...

TM/2026/0176/TCA

Nearby new applications

15 Oct 2026Pending

ASHDOWN HOUSE SCHOOL, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JY

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF DETAILS RESERVED BY CONDITIONS 10 (Construction Mana...

WD/2026/2090/CD
8 Sept 2026Approved

ASHDOWN HOUSE SCHOOL, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JY

APPLICATION FOR A NON-MATERIAL AMENDMENT TO WD/2022/2372/MAJ (RESIDENTIAL USE AN...

WD/2026/1812/NMA
24 Aug 2026Approved

ASHDOWN HOUSE SCHOOL, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JY

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF DETAILS RESERVED BY CONDITION 19 (EPSML – GCN) ATTAC...

WD/2026/1694/CD

Important details

Council
Wealden
Application type
PD Change of use from Agricultural to Flexible Uses
Postcode
RH18 5JZ
Received
10 Dec 2025
Validated
15 Dec 2025
Ward
Hartfield
Parish
Forest Row
Case officer
Show
Target decision
9 Feb 2026
Decision
Prior Approval Required - Details Approved
Decision date
9 Feb 2026
Decision level
Delegated
Applicant
Show
Agent
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 56 days from validation, about the council's usual 55 days. Approved, as 86% of full applications here are.

65%decided within 8 weeks
86%approved
1,002decided in the last year

Plota live figures for full applications decided by Wealden in the last twelve months, from validation. Wealden decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Consultation
12 Jan 2026
Comments by
2 Feb 2026
Site or press notice
12 Jan 2026

Historical activity at this location

6 nearby applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2024 Approved
ASHDOWN FARMHOUSE, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JZ
RETENTION OF 1.2M HIGH STOCK FENCE ON EITHER SIDE OF FARM TRACK TO PREVENT SHEEP/DEER GET…
WD/2024/1378/MAJ
2024 Approved
ASHDOWN FARMHOUSE, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JZ
RETENTION OF 1.2M HIGH STOCK FENCE ON EITHER SIDE OF FARM TRACK TO PREVENT SHEEP/DEER GET…
WD/2024/1378/FR
2024 Approved
ASHDOWN FARMHOUSE, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JZ
RETENTION OF 1.2M HIGH STOCK FENCE ON EITHER SIDE OF FARM TRACK TO PREVENT SHEEP/DEER GET…
WD/2024/1378/MAJ
2024 Approved
ASHDOWN FARMHOUSE, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JZ
RETENTION OF 1.2M HIGH STOCK FENCE ON EITHER SIDE OF FARM TRACK TO PREVENT SHEEP/DEER GET…
WD/2024/1378/FR
2017 Approved
ASHDOWN FARMHOUSE, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JZ
SINGLE STOREY OAK FRAMED ORANGERIE EXTENSION.
WD/2017/1022/F
2017 Approved
ASHDOWN FARMHOUSE, HARTFIELD ROAD, FOREST ROW, RH18 5JZ
SINGLE STOREY OAK FRAMED ORANGERIE EXTENSION.
WD/2017/1022/F
Wealden
Planning Authority Score
4.2/10
Below average
#188 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Wealden ranks #132 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Householder applications are slightly less likely to be approved here (88%) than the national average (90%).

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Wealden decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
84%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #231 of 296
88%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #227 of 296
69%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #132 of 296
40%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #156 of 296
66%
Minor dwellings approved
170 decided (1-9 homes)
78%
Major dwellings approved
32 decided (10+ homes)
74%
Change of use approved
82 decided
1,361
Total decisions
220 refused in the year to March 2026
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings