- Decision
- approved, 26 August 2026
- Decided by
- Council officer (delegated): Emily Ozwell (recommending officer)
- Authority
- Lichfield (West Midlands)
- Application reference
- 26/00849/FUL
- Procedure
- delegated
- Development
- Self-build permanent rural worker's dwelling replacing a temporary mobile home at an equestrian enterprise
- Homes
- 1
- Site context
- green belt, open countryside, isolated
- Green Belt
- Yes (grey belt not argued)
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- GB6(2), HO11(1)(a)
- Development plan policies
- Lichfield Local Plan Strategy CP6, BE1, NR3, Rural Development SPD, Shenstone Neighbourhood Plan, Lichfield District Design Code 2024
- Main issues
- rural worker need; Green Belt very special circumstances
Summary
A permanent rural worker's house replacing a temporary mobile home at an equestrian yard in the Green Belt near Shenstone. The officer held that a new rural worker's dwelling is not a GB7 exception and so is inappropriate. The established and continuing essential need under HO11(1)(a), removal of the mobile home and an occupancy condition together amounted to very special circumstances, and permission was granted.
Issues and findings
- GB6/GB7. "A new permanent rural worker's dwelling does not fall within any of the identified categories and therefore represents inappropriate development" (Report, Principle).
- HO11(1)(a). "isolated homes in the countryside may be supported where there is an essential need for a rural worker … to live permanently at or near their place of work" (Principle). Later: "The proposal therefore accords with the rural worker principles of paragraph 84(a) of the NPPF" (Principle). That is 2024 numbering.
- Very special circumstances. "the established and continuing essential need for a rural worker to live on the site, together with the replacement and removal of the existing temporary accommodation and the proposed occupancy restriction, are considered to amount to very special circumstances" (Principle).
Planning balance
GB6(2) very special circumstances: essential need plus the removal of the temporary structure, against substantial Green Belt harm.
What made the difference
The earlier temporary consent established the functional need, and the evidence showed the need continued.
Transferable points
- In the Green Belt, a rural worker's dwelling needs very special circumstances. HO11(1)(a) essential need is being accepted as those circumstances. Compare bromsgrove-25-00751-FUL, where a temporary worker's cabin went through GB7(1)(g) instead.
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB6(2) | pass | substantial | a new permanent rural worker's dwelling is not a GB7 category, so it is inappropriate. Very special circumstances were found in the continuing essential need, removal of the mobile home and an occupancy condition. |
| HO11(1)(a) | pass | essential need for a rural worker to live on site; later cited as "paragraph 84(a)", which is the 2024 number |
Key facts
- 12 ha grazing land 1.6 km south of Shenstone and 1.3 km north of Hill Hook (Sutton Coldfield)
- A temporary mobile home was permitted (21/00104/FUL); the report also refers to consent on 13 Nov 2025; a resubmission of 24/00768/FUL
- Agricultural occupancy restriction imposed; self-build exempt from BNG
- AI drafting disclosure in the report
Related decisions
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.