Land Off Whissendine Road Ashwell Rutland

1. 1.The settlement hierarchy adopted within the Rutland Local Plan seeks to direct new housing development to sustainable locations where residents have access to services, facilities and public transport, minimising the need to travel by private car. The application site lies outside the Planned Development Limits of Ashwell, a restraint village where development opportunities are intentionally restricted. As a consequence, future occupiers would be largely dependent upon private vehicle use to access day-to-day services, facilities and employment opportunities, resulting in an inherently unsustainable pattern of development. The proposal constitutes unjustified new-build residential development within the countryside. Policy SP6 permits residential development in the countryside only in limited circumstances, including the conversion of suitable rural buildings, where an essential operational need is demonstrated, or where an identified affordable housing need is met in accordance with Policy CS11. The proposal satisfies none of these exceptions. Accordingly, the development is contrary to Policies CS3 and CS4 of the Rutland Core Strategy and Policies SP6 and SP23 of the Site Allocations and Policies Development Plan Document 2014. While regard has been had to paragraph 11(d) of the National Planning Policy Framework, the provision of four additional dwellings attracts only limited weight in favour of the proposal. This benefit is significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the harm arising from the proposal's conflict with the adopted spatial strategy, its unsustainable countryside location, and the precedent it would create for dispersed residential development beyond established settlement limits. The proposal would undermine the plan-led approach to directing growth to sustainable locations and would be contrary to the overarching objectives of Chapters 5 and 12 of the NPPF. Consequently, the adverse impacts of granting permission would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits and the tilted balance does not indicate that planning permission should be granted.

From the council's decision notice.

Parish

Ashwell Parish Council

Date validated

29 May 2026

Consultation end

29 June 2026

Applicant

Private applicant

Architect profile

RTK STAMFORD LTD

Case officer

Paul Milne

Documents

13