Coppice Farm

Client: Private
Local Planning Authority: Mid Sussex District Council

Squires Planning was commissioned to secure planning permission for the conversion of a barn into a four-bedroom residential dwelling on a site just outside East Grisntead, that was previously in equestrian and agricultural use, alongside the storage of scrap/waste materials.

After conducting a thorough review of relevant policy and constraints, we devised a strategy to obtain planning permission for the barn conversion taking into consideration the site's location within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and countryside location. Whilst the site was only a short distance from the boundary of the town, the LPA refused the first application as they considered the site to be unsustainable given the lack of a footpath to the site, and had some minor concerns about the impact of a residential dwelling in this location. 

Whilst we felt we were in a strong position and could have appealed the decision, it was considered that a better approach was to more make some minor tweaks to the proposal and resubmit. These tweaks included the inclusion of some additional safety measures on the road, removal of some skylights, and some minor tweaks to landscaping proposals. A revised application was submitted and this garnered support from the Town Council and subsequently officers.

The application was granted planning permission under the authority's delegated powers.