# Land off Carr Lane, Alderley Edge (agricultural barn in functional floodplain)

- **Decision:** dismissed, 25 August 2026
- **Decided by:** Planning Inspector: J Smith
- **Authority:** Cheshire East (North West)
- **Appeal reference:** 6010751
- **Application reference:** 25/1399/FUL
- **Procedure:** written-representations
- **Development:** Agricultural barn for machinery, hay and forage storage and workshop (retrospective)
- **Site context:** open-countryside, flood-zone-3
- **Green Belt:** no
- **Framework applied:** August 2026 NPPF
- **Determinative policies:** F5, F6(1)(a), AnnexF
- **Development plan policies:** Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy 2017 PG6, SD2, SE13, SADPD 2022 RUR1, ENV16
- **Main issues:** agricultural need, flood risk
- **Tags:** agricultural-building, flood-zone-3b, sequential-test-fail, agricultural-need-not-shown, retrospective, transitional-no-consultation

## Summary
A retrospective agricultural barn in the functional floodplain near Alderley Edge was dismissed on two grounds. Agricultural need was unproven. And under the new F5/F6 and Annex F, less vulnerable development is not permitted in Flood Zone 3b at all, whatever the sequential test result.

## Issues and findings
- **Transition.** "Although there have been significant amendments to its layout and formatting such that previously cited paragraph references are no longer relevant, other changes are not substantive or determinative" (DL ¶3).
- **Need: NOT SHOWN.** "The proposal is not supported by a business plan, operational assessment, investment strategy … or any other substantive evidence" (DL ¶10). Generic UK yield figures were not site-specific (DL ¶8). There was no use of existing buildings (DL ¶12).
- **Sequential test: FAIL (F5).** An owner-only search area depends on proving operational need: "I am not convinced that locating the development in an area of lower flood risk would prejudice an agricultural operation to the extent claimed" (DL ¶20).
- **Flood Zone 3b: FAIL (F6).** "Even if the Sequential Test were considered to be satisfied, Policy F6 … states that development should be refused where the proposed use is incompatible with the level of flood risk … less vulnerable development within Flood Zone 3b should not be permitted" (DL ¶21).

## Planning balance
No formal S5 balance. Conflict with the plan (RUR1, PG6, SE13, ENV16) and the Framework's flood policies was decisive.

## What made the difference
The Flood Zone 3b location was an absolute bar under F6(1)(a) and Annex F Table 3. No amount of agricultural evidence would have overcome it at this spot.

## Transferable points
- F6(1)(a) with Annex F Table 3 bars less vulnerable uses in Flood Zone 3b even if the sequential test is passed (DL ¶21).
- Confining the sequential-test search to the appellant's own holding needs demonstrated operational necessity (DL ¶18-20).
- Agricultural need requires site-specific evidence, not national average yields or future machinery (DL ¶8-10).

## Policy findings
- **F5: fail.** search area confined to appellant's land justified only by operational need, which was not shown; sequential test not passed (DL 18-20)
- **F6(1)(a): fail.** refuse where use incompatible with flood risk; Annex F Table 3 - less vulnerable development not permitted in Flood Zone 3b (DL 17, 21-22)
- **S5(1)(a): neutral.** not expressly applied; agricultural need not evidenced under local RUR1 (no business plan, generic yield figures) (DL 5-16)

## Key facts
- Barn built in Flood Zone 3b (functional floodplain), as the appellant's own FRA confirmed
- Mixed small animals on site; building set up with almost no livestock provision
- Hay yields based on UK averages, not site-specific; machinery partly not yet owned (DL 8)
- Inspector did not consult on new Framework, finding changes "not substantive or determinative" (DL 3)

## Sources
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6010751
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/published-document/de9bd255-34f4-48f4-b57f-1783c81be1c9

---

Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/PINS-6010751.html

A summary of a public planning decision, written from the decision letter. Not legal advice. © Planning Distilled. Released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): share and adapt freely, with credit to Planning Distilled. Quotations from decision letters, plans and the Framework remain the copyright of their publishers.