St Josephs Nursing Home Gay Bowers Road Danbury Chelmsford Essex CM3 4JQ

1. 1.Reason 1 Policy HE4 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that when considering the potential effect of a development proposal on the significance of a designated heritage asset, substantial weight should be given to the asset’s conservation (and the more important the asset, the greater the weight should be). This is irrespective of whether any potential effect amounts to a positive effect, harm, substantial harm, or total loss of its significance. Part 4 of Policy HE6 of the NPPF states that where a development proposal would harm the significance of a designated heritage asset the effect on the asset and its significance should be weighed against any public benefits resulting from the proposal. Important public benefits can include securing the long-term reuse of a vacant or underused listed building and enabling energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures to be employed. Strategic Policy S3 of the Chelmsford Local Plan states that the Council will conserve and where appropriate enhance the historic environment. When assessing applications for development, the Council will place great weight on the preservation and enhancement of designated heritage assets and their setting. Policy DM13 of the Chelmsford Local Plan states that the impact of any development proposal on the significance of a designated heritage asset or its setting, and the level of any harm, will be considered against any public benefits arising from the proposed development. The Council will preserve Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas, Registered Parks and Gardens and Scheduled Monuments. The application site comprises a large Grade II listed building, originating from the early eighteenth century. The building has been extended and altered over time, with the addition of twentieth-century wings. Despite the varying ages of the buildings, the group has a cohesive character, comprising red brick wings WEB PBCS090 26/01215/LBC RELBCZ predominantly finished with clay plain tile roofs. This unified appearance and roofscape make a positive contribution to the significance and character of the listed building. The proposal would involve the installation of 285 solar panels arranged in 14 banks across the southern roof slopes and the roofs of the east and west wings. This would result in extensive coverage of the roofscape and would be readily visible in key views of the property. The introduction of modern photovoltaic panels would contrast with the historic roof coverings and alter the appearance of the traditional roofscape. Overall, the development would result in a low level of harm to the Grade II listed group of buildings. As designated heritage assets, any harm is a matter of considerable weight and importance. Whilst the NPPF states that important public benefits can include energy efficiency, the harm to the appearance of the listed building arising from the scale, extent and visibility of the proposed panels would not be outweighed by those benefits. Therefore, works would not comply with Local Plan Policies S3, DM13 or the NPPF. The proposal would also fail to satisfy the statutory duties under S.66 and S.72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

CM3 4JQ

Date validated

3 September 2026