- Decision
- allowed, 23 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: Lewis Condé
- Authority
- Buckinghamshire (South East)
- Appeal reference
- 6009002
- Application reference
- PL/25/2215/FA
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Change of use of about 20 ha of agricultural land to private equestrian use, with an existing barn altered for stabling
- Site context
- green belt, national landscape, settlement edge, listed building setting
- Green Belt
- Yes (grey belt not argued)
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- GB7(1)(f)(iii), GB7(1)(f)(iv)
- Development plan policies
- Chiltern District Local Plan 1997 GB24, LSQ1, TW6, Core Strategy for Chiltern District 2011 CS22, CS24
- Main issues
- loss of community facility; biodiversity; character and appearance including Chilterns NL
Summary
Change of use of about 20 ha of grassland in the Chilterns National Landscape and Green Belt at Little Kingshill to private equestrian use, reusing a barn for stables. The inspector found no loss of the Scout Hut (a separate planning unit), a BNG gain secured by condition, and the National Landscape's special qualities conserved. The use falls within GB7(1)(f): a material change of use for outdoor recreation with appropriate facilities, openness preserved. Allowed.
Issues and findings
- Transition. The inspector applied the policies "now in force, including those concerning the natural environment, protected landscapes, the Green Belt" without further representations (DL ¶5).
- Community facility: NO LOSS. "that boundary does not, of itself, merge separate uses into a single planning unit" (DL ¶7).
- BNG. "the proposal involves a change of use across an extensive area, and the use of the land as paddocks may affect habitats through changes in management, grazing, enclosure and associated activity. On the evidence before me, I am therefore not satisfied that the ‘de minimis’ exemption applies" (DL ¶13).
- Chilterns NL: CONSERVED AND ENHANCED (DL ¶23).
- Green Belt: NOT INAPPROPRIATE. "the proposed material change of use for private outdoor recreation, together with the alteration of the existing building to provide an appropriate facility for that use, falls within Policy GB7 of the Framework, provided its impact on openness is minimised and it does not conflict significantly with Green Belt purposes" (DL ¶28).
Planning balance
Development plan compliance; no Framework balance needed once GB7(1)(f) applies (DL ¶39).
What made the difference
Keeping the scheme small and private: stabling in an existing barn, no commercial use, all trees and hedges kept, and fencing controlled by condition.
Transferable points
- Private equestrian use is a material change of use for outdoor recreation under GB7(1)(f)(iii), with stabling as an appropriate facility under (f)(iv) (DL ¶28).
- The BNG de minimis exemption may not apply to a change of use to paddocks, because grazing and enclosure change habitat management across the site (DL ¶13).
- A red line drawn round a separate use does not merge it into one planning unit (DL ¶7–8).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7(1)(f)(iii) | pass | material change of use for private outdoor recreation; land stays predominantly open; openness preserved (DL 28) | |
| GB7(1)(f)(iv) | pass | existing barn altered to stabling as an appropriate facility; no material increase in built form (DL 28) | |
| N4 | pass | mapped: Chilterns NL special qualities conserved and enhanced; LURA s245 duty; paddock fencing controlled by condition (DL 18-23) | |
| BNG (Sch 7A TCPA) | pass | de minimis exemption rejected because grazing changes habitat management over a large area; metric shows over 10% habitat and 30% hedgerow gain; HMMP condition for 30 years (DL 13-15, 36) | |
| HC6 | pass | mapped: Scout Hut inside the red line but a separate planning unit, retained; no loss of community facility (GB24) (DL 7-10) | |
| HE6 | neutral | settings of Grade II Little Kingshill Grange and outbuildings preserved (DL 25) |
Key facts
- Costs application by the appellant against the Council, decided separately (DL 2)
- Condition restricts use to private keeping of horses incidental to Little Kingshill Grange; no livery or commercial use (Schedule 6)
- Public rights of way proceedings over the land are a separate regime (DL 26)
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.