Blacksmiths Arms Plymtree Devon EX15 2JU Data via plota.co.uk

25/2531/FUL - Full Application Approved

Proposal

Change of use and associated works to a detached storage outbuilding and adjoining former stables, including alterations, partial demolition and partial rebuilding, to form a single dwelling. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
20 Jan 2026
✓
Committee
12 May 2026
✓
Approved
27 May 2026

Approved on 27 May 2026 · Committee Decision · Last checked 3 Aug 2026

Planning committee

Decided by East Devon Planning Committee on 12 May 2026.

Approved

As officers recommended.

  • Officers advised approval because the proposal reused existing buildings and would not cause unacceptable impacts.
  • Two supporters welcomed the reuse of the buildings, while the church council raised concerns about the window and construction activity.
  • The committee approved the application with conditions in accordance with the officer recommendation.
Read how the committee decided The proposed conversion, site history, officer assessment, consultation responses and committee decision.

Source: Plota analysis of East Devon's committee minutes of 12 May 2026.

Site constraints 2

Agricultural land, grade 3b
Not 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.
9 listed buildings within 150 m
Nearest: Lych Gate, Churchyard Wall and Raised Pavement to South and West of Churchyard, Grade II, 53 m away · 1 Grade I, 8 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 9 with distances
Historic England ↗
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument 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
East Devon
Application type
Full Application
Postcode
EX15 2JU
Received
20 Jan 2026
Validated
20 Jan 2026
Ward
Tale Vale
Parish
Plymtree
Decision
Approval with conditions
Decision date
27 May 2026
Decision level
Committee Decision
Applicant
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 127 days from validation, 69 days slower than East Devon's median of 58 for changes of use. Approved, as 76% of changes of use here are.

45%decided within 8 weeks
76%approved
13%go to committee

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

Public comments

2comments received
2 supporting

8 neighbours consulted · Last counted 3 Aug 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14552460
Site or press notice
29 Apr 2026
Committee
12 May 2026
Env. assessment
No
East Devon
Planning Authority Score
6.7/10
Good
#72 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

East Devon ranks #103 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (94%) than the national average (90%).

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
East Devon decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
88%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #152 of 296
94%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #104 of 296
72%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #103 of 296
34%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #86 of 296
63%
Minor dwellings approved
168 decided (1-9 homes)
74%
Major dwellings approved
23 decided (10+ homes)
88%
Change of use approved
25 decided
1,321
Total decisions
157 refused in the year to March 2026

Freehold boundary: © Crown copyright and database rights 2026, HM Land Registry. Polygons © Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey 100026316. Conditions of use