Appeal 6000629

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for a field barn at [site address] in accordance with the terms of the application, [name]/25/00157/FUL, subject to the following conditions:

The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than 3 years from the date of this decision.

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: MAD/GUA/24/LOCATION; MAD/GUA/24/1-1 [name] and Elevations; MAD/GUA/24/1-1/A Proposed Site Plan.

Prior to first use of the development hereby permitted a surface water drainage system to serve the development shall have been provided in accordance with details previously submitted and approved in writing by the local planning authority. Thereafter the approved system shall be retained and maintained.

As part of the appeal, in response to the Council’s second reason for refusal, the appellant has submitted an updated [name] (BNG) Report1 and Proposed Site Plan2. These updated documents seek to address previous inconsistencies in terms of the siting of the barn and location of proposed tree planting. The area of land covered by the [name] has also been enlarged to reflect the whole appeal site rather than just the area where the field barn would be positioned and, while the amount of modified grassland habitat that would be lost has not changed, the number of small native trees to be planted as compensation has been increased from 7 to 12. This is a modest amendment, and the Council and any interested parties have had opportunity to comment on the updated 1 [name] – [name], Land at Maywood, Guarlford, Malvern, Worcestershire, [postcode] , V3 issued on 02 September 2025, prepared by [name]. 2 [name]: MAD/GUA/24/1-1/A documents as part of the appeal proceedings. Given this, no party would be prejudiced by my consideration of the updated documents as part of the appeal.

The main issues in this appeal are: • whether the appeal site would be an appropriate location for the proposal with regards to the Council’s spatial strategy for the area; and • the effect of the proposal on biodiversity.

Policy SWDP 2 of the South Worcestershire Development Plan (2016) (Local Plan) permits the development of buildings for agriculture and forestry on land, such as the appeal site, which is beyond the development boundary, and for the purposes of Policy SWDP 2, within the open countryside.

The proposed field barn is required for the storage of machinery and equipment, such as a tractor, for maintaining the 5-acre holding at Maywood. While it may be that the holding is small, during my visit, it was being used for the grazing of sheep and was therefore in active use as farmland. Some of the land was also being used for horticultural purposes. These are genuine agricultural activities that would be supported by the field barn. The proposal would therefore accord with Policy SWDP 2 of the Local Plan.

The updated BNG report and Proposed Site Plan are now broadly consistent in terms of the siting of the barn and placement of the proposed trees. The Small Sites Biodiversity Metric 4.0 (DEFRA, April 2023) calculations show a net gain in habitats of 10.52%. This has not been disputed by the Council. I am therefore satisfied that the biodiversity gain condition is capable of being successfully discharged. The proposal would therefore accord with Policy SWDP 22 of the Local Plan, which seeks to ensure that development enhances biodiversity.

In addition to the standard time limit condition, a condition specifying the approved plans is required in the interests of certainty. To ensure the development does not exacerbate flood risk a condition requiring the implementation of a surface water drainage system before first use is also necessary.

For the reasons above, having had regard to the development plan as a whole and all relevant material considerations, I conclude that the appeal should be allowed, subject to the conditions set out above. [planning inspector] INSPECTOR

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for a field barn at [site address] in accordance with the terms of the application, [name]/25/00157/FUL, subject to the following conditions:

The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than 3 years from the date of this decision.

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: MAD/GUA/24/LOCATION; MAD/GUA/24/1-1 [name] and Elevations; MAD/GUA/24/1-1/A Proposed Site Plan.

Prior to first use of the development hereby permitted a surface water drainage system to serve the development shall have been provided in accordance with details previously submitted and approved in writing by the local planning authority. Thereafter the approved system shall be retained and maintained.

As part of the appeal, in response to the Council’s second reason for refusal, the appellant has submitted an updated [name] (BNG) Report1 and Proposed Site Plan2. These updated documents seek to address previous inconsistencies in terms of the siting of the barn and location of proposed tree planting. The area of land covered by the [name] has also been enlarged to reflect the whole appeal site rather than just the area where the field barn would be positioned and, while the amount of modified grassland habitat that would be lost has not changed, the number of small native trees to be planted as compensation has been increased from 7 to 12. This is a modest amendment, and the Council and any interested parties have had opportunity to comment on the updated 1 [name] – [name], Land at Maywood, Guarlford, Malvern, Worcestershire, [postcode] , V3 issued on 02 September 2025, prepared by [name]. 2 [name]: MAD/GUA/24/1-1/A documents as part of the appeal proceedings. Given this, no party would be prejudiced by my consideration of the updated documents as part of the appeal.

The main issues in this appeal are: • whether the appeal site would be an appropriate location for the proposal with regards to the Council’s spatial strategy for the area; and • the effect of the proposal on biodiversity.

Policy SWDP 2 of the South Worcestershire Development Plan (2016) (Local Plan) permits the development of buildings for agriculture and forestry on land, such as the appeal site, which is beyond the development boundary, and for the purposes of Policy SWDP 2, within the open countryside.

The proposed field barn is required for the storage of machinery and equipment, such as a tractor, for maintaining the 5-acre holding at Maywood. While it may be that the holding is small, during my visit, it was being used for the grazing of sheep and was therefore in active use as farmland. Some of the land was also being used for horticultural purposes. These are genuine agricultural activities that would be supported by the field barn. The proposal would therefore accord with Policy SWDP 2 of the Local Plan.

The updated BNG report and Proposed Site Plan are now broadly consistent in terms of the siting of the barn and placement of the proposed trees. The Small Sites Biodiversity Metric 4.0 (DEFRA, April 2023) calculations show a net gain in habitats of 10.52%. This has not been disputed by the Council. I am therefore satisfied that the biodiversity gain condition is capable of being successfully discharged. The proposal would therefore accord with Policy SWDP 22 of the Local Plan, which seeks to ensure that development enhances biodiversity.

In addition to the standard time limit condition, a condition specifying the approved plans is required in the interests of certainty. To ensure the development does not exacerbate flood risk a condition requiring the implementation of a surface water drainage system before first use is also necessary.

For the reasons above, having had regard to the development plan as a whole and all relevant material considerations, I conclude that the appeal should be allowed, subject to the conditions set out above. [planning inspector] INSPECTOR