Appeal Award – Thaxted Road, Saffron Walden
We are delighted to have been awarded Reserved Matters Approval via Appeal, just a few days after our Appeal Hearing for our site at Thaxted Road, Saffron Walden.
Chase New Homes secured the site in June 2023, with the benefit of an Outline Planning Consent for 170 dwellings. Additionally, the outline approval was also governed by a detailed parameter plan, which fixed road layout, storey heights and green spaces; and further, the outline approval was underpinned by a site wide Design Code that had been approved by the local authority at outline stage.
Given these governing principles, Chase agreed an in-principal partnership with B3 Living and together, evolved the scheme design to deliver a lower density scheme of 168 dwellings, including 67 affordable homes, which were fully supported by the local authority’s affordable housing team.
Reserved Matters approval was anticipated without challenge in June 2024; however, the initial case officer recommendation for approval, was amended to a recommendation for refusal prior to committee, on the grounds of Acoustic’s, Road Layout and Design, and Parking. Despite our efforts to argue these points in good faith, the refusal quickly followed.
The Appeal Hearing in February 2025 quickly exposed the reasons for refusal, citing that Acoustic’s, Road Layout and Design had been approved at Outline stage. So weak was the council’s argument on Road Layout as a ground for refusal, they quickly dropped the matter during the hearing. Parking was felt to be low by the Inspector, but on balance, the benefits of the scheme, including significant Section 106 contributions and the potential imminent delivery of 67 much needed Affordable Homes with one of the local authority’s preferred providers; far outweighed any negatives.
Whilst this is a fantastic result and wonderful testament to our Development and Planning Team’s resolve, the journey from site purchase, to what will now be a swift start on site almost two years later, has been inexplicably slow and demonstrates the fundamental flaws in our planning system, leading to unreasonable and unnecessary delays in delivery of housing.
On a more positive note, this new scheme will be our second development in Saffron Walden, with our first (which is on-site and selling well currently), comprising 96 dwellings through the careful and sensitive conversion of the 18th Century built ‘Friends School’ on Mount Pleasant Road, and the associated new build homes in its wider grounds.
Saffron Walden was recently named as the ‘best place to live in the East of England’ in the annual “Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide”; so, we are naturally very excited to be extending our presence in this attractive and highly sought after market town. Works will be commencing on our Thaxted Road site within the next month.
