- Decision
- allowed, 8 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: Graham Wraight
- Authority
- County Durham (North East)
- Appeal reference
- 6010086
- Application reference
- DM/26/00471/FPA
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Erection of a livestock building
- Site context
- open countryside, conservation area, valued landscape
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- s38(6)
- Development plan policies
- County Durham Plan 2020 Policies 10, 29, 39
- Main issues
- landscape character and appearance
Summary
Livestock building for the last working farm in Old Cassop, in an Area of Higher Landscape Value and the conservation area. Allowed. The landscape harm was "localised" and limited because the building sits next to the existing farm complex (DL ¶7). The farm and BNG benefits clearly outweighed that harm under the local plan's own AHLV test. The inspector declined to use the Framework: "the policies of the development plan are of more assistance in assessing local landscape impact" (DL ¶9). The parties were not consulted on the 2026 Framework because it did "not materially affect the assessment" (DL ¶2).
What made the difference
The building clusters with the existing farm group, and the council gave no evidence of the AHLV's special qualities. Agricultural buildings are "expected sights" in the countryside (DL ¶7).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy 39 (CDP, AHLV) | accord | localised, limited landscape harm next to existing farm complex; benefits "clearly outweigh" so accords with the policy's own balance (DL 7, 16-18) | |
| Policy 29 (CDP) | conflict | does not contribute positively to character; outweighed by benefits (DL 9, 18) | |
| E4 | benefit | significant | last working farm in Old Cassop; economic, animal-welfare and manure-containment benefits, significant weight (DL 11); code mapped by harvester |
| N2 | benefit | moderate | 31.69% BNG on appellant's land (DL 12); code mapped by harvester |
| HE9 | neutral | building in CA fields north of village but low-lying next to farm complex; no harm to CA significance (DL 13-15); code mapped by harvester |
Key facts
- Site in an Area of Higher Landscape Value and within Old Cassop Conservation Area; council gave no evidence of the AHLV's special qualities (DL 4)
- Views only fleeting from the A181 (DL 6)
- BNG 31.69% (DL 12)
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.