# Stonewood, Almshouse Hill, Bramham

- **Decision:** dismissed, 4 September 2026
- **Decided by:** Planning Inspector: Ryan Cowley
- **Authority:** Leeds (Yorkshire and the Humber)
- **Appeal reference:** 6010416
- **Application reference:** 26/01387/FU
- **Procedure:** written-representations
- **Development:** Change of use of land to garden, first-floor and single-storey side extensions, balcony, parking, gabions
- **Site context:** inside-settlement, conservation-area, listed-building-setting, TPO
- **Green Belt:** no
- **Framework applied:** August 2026 NPPF
- **Determinative policies:** HE6, S4(1)
- **Development plan policies:** Leeds Core Strategy 2019 SP13, P10, P11, P12, T2, G9, UDPR 2006 GP5, N19, N20, LD1, Bramham cum Oglethorpe NDP 2018-2033 NE2, H3, H5
- **Main issues:** heritage and character, highway safety, BNG
- **Tags:** tier-2, s4-within-settlement, s4-substantially-outweighed, heritage-harm-decisive, conservation-area, bng-exemption-not-shown, householder, transitional-no-consultation

## Summary
Substantial extensions and a garden extension onto "transitional land" at a prominent hillside house in the Bramham Conservation Area, above the Grade II war memorial. Dismissed. The inspector did not re-consult because the relevant policy had "not substantively changed" (DL ¶2). Moderate heritage harm, risk to TPO trees, unsafe reversing manoeuvres and an unsupported BNG exemption substantially outweighed the largely private benefits under S4 (DL ¶38-39).

## What made the difference
Mainly the elevated, prominent position: doubling the first-floor width made a neutral building dominant over the historic core. The BNG exemption failed because the application described the extra land as "transitional land", undermining the claim that it was already garden (DL ¶32-34).

## Policy findings
- **HE6: harm.** moderate harm to Bramham CA and setting of Grade II war memorial; extensions double first-floor width on prominent hillside; TPO woodland at risk; very modest public benefits (DL 9-20)
- **N2: fail.** more than 25 sq m of habitat affected, including "transitional land" not shown to be garden; no BNG information (DL 29-35)
- **S4(1): fail.** heritage, trees, highway safety (reversing on a narrow hill) and BNG failure substantially outweigh private benefits (DL 37-39)

## Key facts
- Elevated late-20th-century house above the village core and war memorial
- Parking layout forces long reversing on a narrow shared hill; highway authority objected

## Sources
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6010416
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/published-document/91761df2-af45-4819-8eaf-e34df9412406

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Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/PINS-6010416.html

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