# Chorley Road, Burntwood (agricultural field access)

- **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
- **Tags:** tier-2, highway-safety, transitional-no-consultation

## 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
- **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- Flood-risk reason withdrawn: site in Flood Zone 1 (DL 19)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
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6007231
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/published-document/660f8658-3e72-4a32-a94a-f130ce963aa4

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Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/PINS-6007231.html

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