Domestic outbuilding for personal storage

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 11 September 2026 by Jonathan Price BA(Hons) DipTP DMS MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 16 September 2026 Appeal Ref: 6012906 43 Main Road, St Lawrence, Essex CM0 7LY • The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) against a refusal to grant planning permission. • The appeal is made by Ben Bridges against the decision of Maldon District Council. • The application Ref is 26/00069/HOUSE. • The development proposed is domestic outbuilding for personal storage. Decision The appeal is allowed and planning permission granted for the domestic outbuilding for personal storage at 43 Main Road, St Lawrence, Essex CM0 7LY in accordance with the terms of the application 26/00069/HOUSE and subject to the following condition: 1) The development hereby permitted shall accord with the following drawings 2092 01 Rev A, 2092 02 Rev A, 2092 03 Rev A, 2092 04 Rev A, 2092 05 Rev A, 2092 06 Rev A. Preliminary Matters 1. The development is already in place and appears to reflect the plans submitted, for which retrospective approval is sought. 1. On 17 August 2026 the Government published the revised National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework). This does not alter the requirement in planning law that appeals be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Because the relevant development plan policies in this case are not materially inconsistent with those of the new Framework, I have not deemed it necessary to seek the further views of the parties. Main Issue 2. The effects of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area. Reasons 3. The semi-detached house at No 43, along with its immediate neighbours, is set well back from the street behind a relatively long drive and front garden. The surroundings are that of a built-up residential street scene of a quite varied and informal character. The outbuilding sits to one side of the plot at the top of the drive, quite near the main road. It is of an intrinsically satisfactory design, with the weatherboarded walls and pitched tiled roof rather typical of a small workshop building in a rural settlement. Although in a quite prominent position, this unremarkable building does not appear out of place in a built context which itself Appeal Decision 6012906 2 does not impose a rigid building line or design requirements. This rather innocuous building appears quite fitting here and certainly causes no appreciable harm to the character and appearance of the village. As a consequence, this proposal satisfies the requirements of policies D1 and H4 of the Maldon District Local Development Plan and those of the Framework for achieving well-designed places. Conclusion 4. For certainty a condition is necessary which specifies the plans approved. The proposal is described as a domestic outbuilding and so there is no necessity for a further condition specifying use as such and not as a separate residential dwelling. Because the proposal is satisfactory in respect of its effects on the character and appearance of the area, in accordance with the development plan as a whole, I conclude the appeal succeeds. Jonathan Price INSPECTOR