Agricultural occupancy removal at Haynes Park, Parkham, Bideford

“Proposal: Proposed agricultural worker's Bungalow (Removal of condition 7 of planning approval NJ/1843- Agricultural Occupancy Condition) Recommendation: Grant…”

“Proposed development s73 planning permission is sought for the removal of condition 7 of planning approval NJ/1843 (agricultural occupancy). Condition 7 states 'The dwelling hereby permitted shall be occupied only by persons employed or last employed locally in agriculture as defined by Section 221 of the Town and Country Planning act, 1962, and dependants of such persons as aforesaid. Reason: To ensure that the dwelling is occupied by persons connected with agriculture'.”

“Site description The application site is a dwelling known as Haynes Park, a former agricultural holding in the open countryside. The application site is approximately 650 metres northwest of the development boundary of the village of Parkham, which is defined as a Schedule 'B' village in the adopted North Devon and Torridge Local Plan (NDTLP).”

“The site is located on a ridge overlooking the valley of the River Yeo to the north. The site is accessed by a public highway which borders the south of the site. The existing dwelling is located to the south east of the application site and the surrounding land is agricultural in nature.”

“1/0849/2012/FUL Two-storey extension to dwelling, relocation of access and driveway, erection of agricultural shed. PER 10.12.2012”

“1/0282/2017/CPE A certificate of lawfulness for the occupation of the dwelling house known as Haynes Park, Parkham without compliance with an agricultural occupancy condition. PER 12.05.2017”

“The construction of the dwelling was completed some time ago. In 2017, a Certificate of Lawfulness was issued on the basis that the dwelling had been in occupied in breach of the relevant occupancy condition for a period in excess of ten years. The following paragraph is taken from the planning statement submitted in support of this application:”

“The breach is beyond the scope of planning enforcement. While it is possible the dwelling could be occupied by an agricultural worker in the future, this scenario is highly unlikely. Additionally, the holding as it stands would not be able to sustain a full-time worker. It is noted that no objections have been received and the Parish Council support the application.”

“Number of neighbours consulted: Number of letters of support: Number of representations received: Number of neutral representations: Number of objection letters: 0”

“There was no site visit for this application. Application No. 1/0857/2025/FUL - Proposed agricultural worker's Bungalow (Removal of condition 7 of planning approval NJ/1843- Agricultural Occupancy Condition) - Haynes Park, Parkham, Bideford, Devon, EX39 5PJ Interests – None Recommendation - Grant The Planning Officer presented the item and informed Members that the application was before the Committee as the applicant is a member of Torridge staff.”

“The Chair questioned if the current occupiers purchased the property at a cheaper rate in 2024 if there was an agricultural tie, and the Planning Officer explained that they were unsure, but the certificate was already in existence. The Head of Planning & Building Control outlined that this would have been included in the planning history during purchase.”