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Tandridge: Grey belt and affordable housing carried a Green Belt scheme
A hearing for 42 affordable homes in Caterham was allowed. The Inspector found the site to be grey belt land and held that the scheme met the Framework’s Golden Rules, including 100% affordable housing, public open space and 20% biodiversity net gain. Moderate harm to the Area of Great Landscape Value and conflict with the settlement strategy were outweighed by a serious housing land supply shortfall of around two years and a severe affordable housing shortfall. (6002898)

East Riding of Yorkshire: Seasonal worker accommodation failed the rural dwelling tests
A hearing for seasonal workers’ accommodation in Howden was dismissed. The Inspector treated the seasonal accommodation as a C4 dwelling and found no demonstrated essential need for workers to live on site, noting the availability of existing dwellings on the holding and insufficient evidence that nearby accommodation could not meet the need. The scheme also failed the flood risk exception test because its wider sustainability benefits were very modest. (6005696)

North Lincolnshire: Reserved matters scope limited highway objections
Reserved matters and condition details for residential development in Crowle were approved. The Inspector held that access had already been approved at outline stage and could not be reopened through the reserved matters appeal, while the layout, appearance, landscaping and scale would preserve the nearby conservation area and listed building settings. The decision is a useful reminder that LPAs must distinguish matters genuinely reserved from those settled by the outline permission. (6004639)

East Devon: Permission in Principle allowed after habitats mitigation
Permission in Principle was granted for 2 self-build dwellings at Aylesbeare. Although the site was treated as countryside in spatial policy terms, the Inspector found it reasonably accessible in its rural context and capable of accommodating the proposed amount of development. A Habitats Regulations appropriate assessment was undertaken, with mitigation secured through a section 111 agreement, and the Council’s 2.97-year housing land supply engaged the tilted balance. (6001310)

East Lindsey: National Landscape harm managed at PIP stage
Permission in Principle was granted for 2-6 homes within the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape. The Inspector found moderate localised harm from encroachment into agricultural land at the village edge, but held that the site’s size and the PiP process left scope for careful layout, design and landscaping at technical details stage. With no five-year housing land supply, the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the housing benefits. (6006849)

Southend-on-Sea: Small children’s home allowed with local need condition
The change of use of a C3 dwelling to a C2 children’s home for 2 children in Westcliff-on-Sea was allowed. The Inspector accepted evidence of an identified local need for children’s home accommodation and found that proximity to another children’s home did not justify refusal without substantiated evidence of harm to services or placements. (6003182)

Southampton: Serviced accommodation dismissed where housing supply was constrained
A retrospective proposal to use flats as serviced accommodation for three years was dismissed. The Inspector gave significant weight to local policy protecting existing dwellings, noting a 2.85-year housing land supply and more than 8,000 housing waiting list applications, including substantial demand for one-bedroom units. The temporary nature of the use did not overcome the harm from continuing the loss of 6 residential units. (6005235)

London Borough of Brent: Housing benefits did not justify loss of employment floorspace
A proposal to convert office floorspace into 2 flats was dismissed. The Inspector found that the appellant had not met the Brent Local Plan’s requirements for demonstrating lack of demand and unviability, including sustained marketing, valuation evidence and consideration of alternative layouts or flexible leases. A fire safety strategy could have been conditioned, but the unjustified loss of employment floorspace outweighed the modest housing benefit. (6006851)

Wyre: Rural tourism and studio use allowed in the Forest of Bowland
A campsite expansion and music studio with associated overnight accommodation was allowed. The Inspector accepted that, although the site was remote and car-dependent, local plan policies supported holiday accommodation and conversion of existing buildings in the countryside. Highway risks on narrow lanes were found to be slight given the modest scale and low traffic levels, and the screened site was found not to harm the Forest of Bowland National Landscape. (6007785)

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole: HMO refused in employment zone without habitat mitigation
A part-retrospective 6-bedroom HMO above an automotive restoration workshop in Poole was dismissed. The Inspector found no clear need for on-site worker accommodation, conflict with employment land policy, and poor living conditions arising from the internal layout and relationship with workshop activity. (6003821)

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AppealBase found 59 new appeal decisions for 7 July 2026, granting permission for up to 311 new dwellings – the selected decisions below turned on issues including five-year supply shortfalls, the tilted balance, grey belt and sustainable location tests, neighbourhood plan weight, heritage constraints, and the limits of PiP and technical details consent.

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North Hertfordshire: Inquiry allows 280 homes despite transport policy conflict

An inquiry allowed up to 280 dwellings at Royston, including affordable housing. The Inspector found conflict with the development plan because the site was outside the settlement boundary and would not provide adequate opportunity for non-car travel, but those harms were given minor weight. With housing supply at 2.6 years, significant weight was given to market and affordable housing, and mitigation was accepted for highway impacts and recreational pressure. (6004178)

South Oxfordshire: Hearing decision applies tilted balance to neighbourhood plan conflict
A hearing allowed up to 25 homes at Lewknor, despite conflict with the spatial strategy and the Lewknor Neighbourhood Plan. The Inspector found the “on the ground” harm would be limited, while the council’s 3.81-year housing land supply gave very significant weight to the delivery of new and affordable homes. The Inspector also considered that Framework paragraph 14 was not determinative because the neighbourhood plan did not contain housing allocations. (6005839)

North Lincolnshire: Six homes allowed in flood zone countryside
Outline permission was granted for up to six dwellings outside the settlement limit at New Holland. Although the scheme conflicted with countryside and spatial distribution policies, the Inspector found the harm modest given the site’s relationship to existing development and access to local facilities, bus services and a railway station. The tilted balance outweighed the development plan conflict. (6005455)

Cheshire East: Grey belt housing fails on Jodrell Bank World Heritage Site evidence
Permission in Principle for up to nine dwellings at Over Peover was dismissed. The Inspector found the site was grey belt and that the scheme would not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, but the appellant had not provided sufficient heritage or technical evidence on the effect of radio-frequency interference on the Jodrell Bank Observatory World Heritage Site. (6007282)

Cheshire East: Rural employment loss outweighs nine-home benefit
Another Permission in Principle appeal in Cheshire East for nine dwellings was dismissed. The Inspector accepted that redevelopment of the previously developed Green Belt site would not be inappropriate, but found the site poorly located for access to services without a car and that the loss of an active rural employment site had not been justified by viability or marketing evidence. (6006245)

Basingstoke and Deane: Lapsed Permission in Principle prevents TDC
A technical details consent appeal for eight dwellings was dismissed because the underlying Permission in Principle had expired. The Inspector held that the six-month appeal period against the TDC refusal did not extend the statutory three-year life of the permission in principle, which had already ceased to have effect. (6004109)

Wealden: “HMO” scheme treated as 12 self-contained flats
A proposed 12-bedroom HMO at a former care home in Pevensey Bay was dismissed after the Inspector found the physical layout amounted to 12 self-contained flats. The private kitchen facilities were considered sufficiently comprehensive that communal living would be unnecessary and unlikely, bringing the scheme into conflict with space standards and affordable housing policy. (6005607)

Hackney: Upward extension prior approval fails on construction date
Prior approval for an additional storey providing 10 studio flats under Class AB of Part 20 of the GPDO was dismissed. The Inspector found the building was not capable of occupation or its intended mixed uses by 5 March 2018, so it fell outside the permitted development right. (6004208)

South Cambridgeshire: Custom-build scheme dismissed on heritage, ecology and flood evidence
An eight-unit custom-build proposal in Meldreth was dismissed. The Inspector gave only modest weight to the custom-build benefit because it was not secured by legal agreement, and found conflict arising from harm to the conservation area setting, ecological concerns around the River Mel corridor, inadequate living conditions for some future occupiers, and unresolved flood and drainage evidence. (6005285)

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We are aware that the links above may not work in some email clients. If this is the case, please view the Digest in the Substack app or online, or just enter the appeal reference at www.appealbase.com to view the full decision.

Maldon: 275 homes allowed where housing and affordable housing benefits outweighed landscape and highways harm
Following an inquiry, outline permission was granted for up to 275 homes, 40% affordable, plus nursery land, cemetery extension land, drainage, access and active travel works. The Inspector found conflict with the spatial strategy and moderate landscape harm, with limited road network harm, but the Council could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and the tilted balance was engaged. (6004910)

Bromsgrove: Self-build accessible dwelling dismissed despite Green Belt exception
At a hearing, a self-build accessible dwelling in the Green Belt was found not to be inappropriate development because it fell within the previously developed land exception and would not cause substantial harm to openness. However, the appeal was dismissed because the site was not suitably accessible by sustainable modes and the proposal would require the loss of a protected ash tree. (6008420)

Cheshire East: Grey belt site still failed the paragraph 155 sustainability test
Permission in Principle for one dwelling in the Green Belt was dismissed. The Inspector accepted that the site fell within the Framework definition of grey belt and that the Council could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, but found that the site was not in a sustainable location because access to services, facilities and bus stops would involve unsafe or unattractive walking along unlit 60mph roads. (6007446)

Chichester: Rural employment uses on previously developed land dismissed under new local plan
Four retrospective employment-related appeals at the Old Army Camp were dismissed. The Inspector gave moderate weight to economic benefits and the use of previously developed land, but found all four uses conflicted with the newly adopted Chichester Local Plan settlement hierarchy and countryside policies because they had not been shown to require a countryside location or support rural diversification. (6003759)

Malvern Hills: Recently adopted plan carried decisive weight for four rural dwellings
An appeal for four dwellings at Pendock was dismissed after the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review had been adopted during the appeal process. The site was treated as open countryside in a category 4 village, with poor access to higher-order services and no public transport evidence. The recent plan, and its five-year supply position, were central to the planning balance. (6006630)

Somerset: Nutrient neutrality secured through package treatment plant
Permission was granted to subdivide an existing dwelling into two dwellings within the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar catchment. The Inspector carried out an appropriate assessment and accepted that, subject to conditions, replacing the septic tank with a specified package treatment plant would reduce phosphate loading. (6006687)

Broadland: Section 73 appeal failed to remove pedestrian crossing requirement
An appeal to vary a condition attached to an earlier permission for up to four dwellings was dismissed. The appellant accepted a crossing was needed but argued it should be provided elsewhere as part of a wider strategy. The Inspector found the existing condition remained necessary to make the approved development acceptable. (6008746)

South Tyneside: Six-person HMO allowed where concentration and parking impacts were not evidenced
A change of use from a four-bedroom dwelling to a six-bedroom C4 HMO was allowed in Jarrow. The Inspector accepted some intensification but found no evidence of harmful HMO overconcentration, no significant harm to neighbours’ living conditions and no unacceptable highway or pedestrian safety impact. (6006345)

Greenwich: Retrospective commercial-to-residential conversion allowed with compliance conditions
The change of two Class E units to two flats was allowed retrospectively, subject to conditions. The Inspector accepted amended measures for privacy and outlook, including obscure glazing and balcony screening, and imposed conditions requiring noise insulation, cycle storage and waste arrangements. The decision is relevant to retrospective residential conversions where mitigation can be made enforceable. (6007875)

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ICMYI: Our analysis of all 1,355 appeals decided in June is available as a two-page PDF download here (view in the Substack app or online if the link doesn’t work from your email client)

Torridge: Rural PiP allowed where housing shortfall tipped the balance
Permission in Principle was granted for 5-7 dwellings on agricultural land. The Inspector found some conflict with local housing strategy policies because identified affordable or local-occupancy need had not been demonstrated, but the site was well-related to the village, had usable bus access in a rural context, and would make a meaningful contribution where the Council had only a 4.61-year housing land supply. (6008887)

East Staffordshire: Self-build benefits did not outweigh heritage harm at PIP stage
In contrast, Permission in Principle for up to nine self-build dwellings outside Denstone was dismissed. The decision confirms that the section 66 listed building duty applies to PiP, and that even significant weight for self-build housing may not outweigh less than substantial harm to the setting of a listed building and non-designated heritage assets. (6006486)

Lewisham: Tilted balance did not rescue retrospective large HMO
A retrospective sui generis HMO for key workers was dismissed despite the Council’s Housing Delivery Test position engaging paragraph 11(d). The Inspector gave substantial weight to the loss of a family dwelling under the new Lewisham Local Plan and found the communal kitchen/living space inadequate, noting that the scheme increased occupancy capacity but did not create an additional housing unit. (6006113)

Haringey: HMO over-concentration upheld without a fixed threshold
The conversion of a C3 dwelling to a C4 HMO on Wightman Road was dismissed. Although the property exceeded the local floorspace threshold for conversion, the Inspector found that existing HMO concentrations of about 15% on the street and around 25% locally justified refusal on cumulative amenity grounds, even without a specified maximum concentration in policy. (6004670)

Southampton: HMO allowed where neighbour harm was not evidenced
A C3 to C4 HMO conversion, including use of an existing outbuilding, was allowed subject to conditions. The Inspector found compliance with the Council’s 10% HMO threshold and considered objections relating to an adjoining foster home, but concluded that asserted safeguarding and placement impacts were speculative without substantive evidence. (6007371)

Barnet: Infill flats failed on design, amenity and BNG evidence
A two-flat infill scheme behind Church Hill Road was dismissed. The Inspector found harm to local character, outlook and existing outdoor space provision, and also rejected reliance on the biodiversity net gain de minimis exemption because the appellant had not provided sufficient evidence or baseline biodiversity information. (6000409)

Tower Hamlets: Section 73 could not turn three storeys into four
An appeal to vary approved drawings for a rear residential building was dismissed on section 73 grounds. Applying Finney, the Inspector found that a proposed mansard roof for plant would visually read as a fourth storey and would conflict with the original description of development as a “three storey rear building”, requiring a fresh planning application. (6007551)

Tower Hamlets: Street hub allowed in a busy urban heritage context
Planning permission and advertisement consent were granted for a BT Street Hub with two digital screens near Sclater Street. The Inspector found the proposal acceptable in a highly commercial, furniture-rich urban setting close to listed buildings and the Redchurch Street Conservation Area, with conditions controlling luminance, image changes, safety and management. (6008173)

Islington: EV charging unit dismissed on conservation and highway safety grounds
A JOLT EV charging unit with digital advertising panels was dismissed in the East Canonbury Conservation Area. The Inspector accepted that EV infrastructure had public benefits, but found those benefits did not outweigh less than substantial heritage harm, visual clutter and unresolved visibility concerns for vehicles leaving adjacent bays. (6007850)

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56 new appeal decisions were added to AppealBase for 2 July 2026, granting permission for up to 85 new dwellings — the selected decisions below address housing delivery on allocated land, the limits of PiP where habitats mitigation is not secured, backland self-build schemes under the tilted balance, rural worker dwellings, contaminated land, loss of open space and trees, children’s homes policy, and renewable energy works affecting heritage assets.

ICMYI: Our analysis of all 1,355 appeals decided in June is available as a two-page PDF download here (view in the Substack app or online if the link doesn’t work from your email client)

New Forest: Strategic allocation allowed despite design, habitats and National Park issues
A hearing granted outline permission for up to 82 dwellings on the New Forest District part of the SS6 allocation, together with related access, drainage and open space works within the National Park. The Inspector found the scheme complied with the development plan, noting the site was allocated for at least 100 homes, NFDC had only a 1.53-year housing land supply, the proposal would deliver 50% affordable housing, and habitats effects could be addressed through the section 106 obligations and conditions. (6001075, 6001076)

Chesterfield: Holiday lodge scheme allowed on former landfill
Following a hearing, permission was granted for 15 holiday lodges, an ancillary building and a play area on part of a historic landfill site. The main issue was whether the site could be made reasonably safe and fit for the proposed use. The Inspector accepted the technical reports and that residual risks from ground gas and contamination could be controlled by conditions. The decision illustrates the level of technical certainty needed where development is proposed on contaminated or unstable land. (6006373)

West Suffolk: Rural worker dwelling refused where essential need and scale were not justified
A hearing involving a farm worker’s self-build dwelling was dismissed. The Inspector found operational advantages in living on site, but not an essential functional need for a full-time worker to live permanently there, particularly given the scale of the livestock enterprise, limited evidence, and insufficient forward budgets. The proposed 200 sqm dwelling was also found disproportionate to the enterprise’s needs and harmful to the countryside. (6006355)

Liverpool: Fifty-one homes dismissed over trees, woodland and open space
A 51-dwelling scheme was dismissed despite the significant benefit of market housing in a sustainable location. The Inspector found the site was not previously developed land, had meaningful informal recreational value, and contained protected trees and woodland that made an important contribution to the streetscene. The loss of trees, woodland, and open space outweighed the housing and economic benefits, in the context of an accepted 5.6-year housing land supply. (6004888)

Dacorum: Backland self-build homes failed under the tilted balance
Outline permission for two self-build dwellings in Bovingdon was dismissed despite a substantial housing land supply shortfall of about 1.2 years and a secured section 106 contribution. The Inspector gave significant weight to the housing and self-build benefits, but found the proposal would be an uncharacteristic and urbanising backland intrusion, with insufficient evidence that acceptable external amenity space could be provided. (6005945)

East Devon: Permission in Principle refused where habitats mitigation was not secured
Permission in Principle for up to nine dwellings in Newton Poppleford was dismissed. The Inspector found that the site lay within the zone of influence of the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths SPA/SAC and that, although the appellant was willing to provide mitigation at technical details consent stage, there was no mechanism before the appeal to secure it. Separate harm was also identified from countryside location, impact on the East Devon National Landscape and loss of Grade 1 agricultural land. (6004981)

Sefton: Children’s home dismissed on oversupply and need evidence
The change of use of a three-bedroom dwelling in Birkdale to a children’s home for one looked-after child was dismissed. The Inspector gave significant weight to Sefton’s recently adopted Children’s Residential Care and Children’s Supported Accommodation SPD, but emphasised that proximity alone did not demonstrate oversupply. The determinative point was the absence of appellant evidence to rebut the Council’s Children’s Services claims that existing local provision was sufficient and that no unmet need had been shown. (6007242)

Dorset: Solar panels refused where heritage harm outweighed energy benefits
Planning and listed building consent appeals for solar photovoltaic panels on rear roof slopes were dismissed. The Inspector accepted that improved energy efficiency and a lower carbon footprint were public benefits, but found the panels would be visually incongruous on the listed building, harm nearby listed buildings’ settings and fail to preserve or enhance the Bridport Conservation Area. The absence of sufficient structural and installation details also created uncertainty over impacts on historic fabric. (6007068)

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PS. We are aware that the links above may not work in some email clients. If this is the case, please view the Digest in the Substack app or online, or just enter the appeal reference at www.appealbase.com to view the full decision.

ICMYI: Our analysis of all 1,355 appeals decided in June is available as a two-page PDF download here (view in the Substack app or online if the link doesn’t work from your email client)

Swindon: Rural housing allowed despite policy conflict
A hearing for 14 homes at Inglesham was allowed despite conflict with the settlement strategy and limited sustainable transport choices. The Inspector found less than substantial harm to the conservation area but concluded that housing delivery in the context of a shortfall, a mix including bungalows, biodiversity enhancements and bus-related obligations meant the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. (6005705)

Basildon: Grey belt housing accepted with Golden Rules package
Outline permission was granted for up to 40 homes on land after the Inspector found the site met the Framework definition of grey belt and that the proposal was not inappropriate development in the Green Belt. The decision applies paragraph 155 and the Golden Rules, including 50% affordable housing, local infrastructure contributions, public open space and RAMS mitigation for European sites. (6006402)

Lambeth: Brixton Station façade prior approval allowed
A hearing brought by Network Rail secured prior approval for the refurbishment of Brixton Station’s façade under Part 18 of the GPDO. The Inspector held that the decision was confined to whether the design or external appearance would injure neighbourhood amenity, and found the contemporary copper-coloured fins, retained arches and improved lighting would preserve the conservation area and maintain a wayfinding function. (6005112)

Birmingham: Student scheme condition varied to support delivery
A section 73 appeal was allowed to vary the condition requiring replacement gymnastics provision before parts of a 523-bed student accommodation scheme could proceed. The Inspector retained the need for equivalent or better replacement sports provision but removed an operator-specific affordability requirement as imprecise, not reasonably enforceable and not required by policy, while adjusting criteria on floor area, height and parking. (6006688)

East Suffolk: Replacement dwelling accepted in National Landscape
Permission was granted for a self-build replacement dwelling at Walberswick within the Suffolk and Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscape and Heritage Coast. The Inspector found the larger contemporary dwelling would conserve landscape and scenic beauty, with effects moderated by siting, materials, vegetation, low visible light transmission glazing and lighting controls; as a replacement dwelling with no net housing gain, it was also outside the RAMS contribution requirement. (6005926)

Sandwell: Gym use allowed on allocated employment and housing land
A change of use from B2/B8 to a Class E(d) gym was allowed at Trident Steel Works, West Bromwich. The Inspector found the gym could serve local residents and employees, would not prejudice wider housing-led redevelopment, passed the sequential test for a main town centre use, and could comply with emerging employment policy because of its modest scale, vacant building context and employment-generating role. (6006966)

Reigate and Banstead: Flood risk sequential test defeats infill dwelling
An appeal for a single detached dwelling in Flood Zone 2 at Redhill was dismissed. The Inspector found the appellant had not undertaken a proportionate sequential test, including engagement with potentially available lower-risk sites, and had not shown how future occupiers could safely evacuate in an extreme flood event; the limited housing benefits did not outweigh conflict with flood risk policy. (6006396)

East Staffordshire: Permission in Principle allowed for affordable infill homes
Permission in Principle was allowed for 1-2 affordable homes on a former garage site in Horninglow. The Inspector confirmed that only location, land use and amount were in scope, finding the disused site made a negative contribution to the area and could accommodate modest residential development, while detailed matters such as access, parking, amenity and layout would remain for technical details consent. (6007260)

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Welcome to all our new subscribers – below you’ll find our pick of the 64 lead appeals decided on 23 June 2026, allowing 17 new dwellings in total; these decisions focus on heritage viability and deliberate neglect, the tilted balance, Green Belt and grey belt analysis, self-…

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There were 66 appeal decisions recorded yesterday, approving 13 new dwellings in total, include hearings on a Camden care home, New Forest equestrian worker housing, the loss of a public house in Test Valley, and temporary rural worker accommodation in North Devon, together …

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A total of 48 new appeal were recorded yesterday, granting permission for 141 new dwellings, comprising up to 90 homes at Broxbourne, 44 homes at Basingstoke and 7 homes at Tandridge – the selected decisions below include two hearings, s…

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68 lead appeal cases have been decided since Friday creating up to 61 new dwellings, including a 54-home development at Lechlade, two custom-build plots, and bungalows in Romsley and Ramsgate – the selected decisions below cover issues such as housing supply and heritage balance, grey belt Permission in Principle, Class E retail fallback, Gypsy and Trav…

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78 appeal decisions yesterday granted permission for up to 312 new dwellings, including 300 homes at Langho, four homes in Brentwood, single dwellings in Fenland, South Cambridgeshire, East Riding and Bath and North East Somerset, and permission in principle for 3-4 homes in Malvern Hills. The highlighted cases below include housing supply and neighbour…

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