- Decision
- dismissed, 3 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: K Townend
- Authority
- Lichfield (West Midlands)
- Appeal reference
- 6007231
- Application reference
- 25/01496/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Partly retrospective new vehicular access to serve an approved agricultural building
- Site context
- settlement edge
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- Lichfield LPS Core Policy 5, Lichfield LPS ST1
- Development plan policies
- Lichfield Local Plan Strategy 2008-2029 CP2, CP3, CP5, CP13, ST1, NR3, BE1
- Main issues
- highway safety; biodiversity
Summary
A new field access for an approved agricultural building was dismissed on highway safety. The gate position and dropped kerb could not accommodate large agricultural vehicles waiting off the road (DL 10-15). The biodiversity concerns were resolved by replacement hedging.
What made the difference
There was no evidence of vehicle sizes or numbers, and conditions restricting the access's use were unenforceable (DL 8, 14).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| TR6 | fail | gate set back only 6 m and a dropped kerb rather than radii; large agricultural vehicles would wait or reverse on the highway (DL 10-15) | |
| N2 | pass | replacement hawthorn hedgerow longer than the section lost (DL 18) |
Key facts
- Framework 'significantly different' but pertinent wording not substantially changed; no consultation (DL 5)
- Flood-risk reason withdrawn: site in Flood Zone 1 (DL 19)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.