- Decision
- allowed, 1 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: D Marley
- Authority
- Bromsgrove (West Midlands)
- Appeal reference
- 6009062
- Application reference
- 26/00107/CUPRIO
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Class Q prior approval for change of use of an agricultural building to 2 dwellings
- Homes
- 2
- Site context
- open countryside
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- TR6, GPDO Sch2 Pt3 Class Q.2(1)(a),(f)
- Main issues
- highways; design and external appearance
Summary
Class Q prior approval for two dwellings in a Bromsgrove barn was allowed. The existing shared access already served a house and farm traffic, so TR6 was met (DL ¶14). The Framework's design and amenity policies were held not to import a living-conditions assessment into the Class Q "design or external appearance" matter (DL ¶19).
What made the difference
Existing use of the access (DL ¶9-11), and a narrow reading of the prior approval matter: "to extend this to include a broad assessment of the living conditions of future occupiers … would … go beyond the provisions of the subject matter of the prior approval" (DL ¶19).
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 | pass | existing residential and agricultural use of a 50 mph access; two more dwellings not a material intensification; conflict with Streetscape Design Guide splays given limited weight (DL 7-14) | |
| DP3 | not-engaged | Framework's amenity and design policies do not import living-conditions assessment into the Class Q design/external appearance matter (DL 17-19) |
Key facts
- Amenity space enclosed within the open-sided barn attacked by the council on outlook and daylight (DL 15-16)
- Framework "has not fundamentally changed" matters material to the decision (DL 5)
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.