Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions Site visit made on 5 April 2022 by William Cooper BA (Hons) MA CMLI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 7th April 2022 Appeal A Ref: APP/W3520/W/20/3258595 Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna IP23 8LL • The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a refusal to grant planning permission. • The appeal is made by Mr Andrew Woodcock against the decision of Mid Suffolk District Council. • The application Ref: DC/20/02553, dated 25 June 2020, was refused by notice dated 21 August 2020. • The development proposed is described as addition of alternative wall cladding to cart lodge. Appeal B Ref: APP/W3520/Y/20/3258599 Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna IP23 8LL • The appeal is made under section 20 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 against a refusal to grant listed building consent. • The appeal is made by Mr Andrew Woodcock against the decision of Mid Suffolk District Council. • The application Ref: DC/20/02554, dated 25 June 2020, was refused by notice dated 21 August 2020. • The works proposed are described as addition of corrugated sheet cladding to cart lodge. Decision Appeal A 1.

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for addition of alternative wall cladding to cart lodge at Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna IP23 8LL in accordance with the terms of the application Ref: DC/20/02553, dated 25 June 2020, and the plans submitted with it. Appeal B 2. The appeal is allowed and listed building consent is granted for addition of corrugated sheet cladding to cart lodge at Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna IP23 8LL in accordance with the terms of the application DC/20/02554, dated 25 June 2020, and the plans submitted with it. Preliminary Matters 3. The description in each of the banner headings and decisions above is taken from the relevant appeal form and decision notice, in the interests of precision. 4. As the proposal relates to the setting of a listed building I have had special regard to sections 16(2) and 66(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (the Act). https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions Appeal Decisions APP/W3520/W/20/3258595, APP/W3520/Y/20/3258599 5. Since the Council’s decision, a new version of the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) was published in July 2021. As the substance of Framework policy, insofar as is relevant to the main issue in these cases has not fundamentally changed, parties will not be disadvantaged by my consideration of it. 6. The appeal building is not a listed building. Also, as the appeal building is a relatively recent new build, for the purposes of my decisions I consider that it is not a curtilage listed building. Furthermore, the appeal proposal would not entail demolition, alteration or extension of a listed building. As such, it is open to question why listed building consent has been applied for and refused in this case. That said, I shall consider Appeal B, along with Appeal A, as it has been submitted. Main Issue 7. The main issue is whether the appeal scheme preserves the setting of the Grade II listed building Grove Farmhouse. Reasons 8. The appeal building is a relatively recent, single storey cartlodge with attic storage space. It is located in a yard with various other outbuildings, to the side of the listed farmhouse.

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions The corrugated metal cladding on part of the cartlodge’s exterior walls, for which approval is sought, has been installed. Red brick and several grey painted timber doors also make up part of the cartlodge’s exterior. 9. The listed building is a large two-storey, timber-framed farmhouse with cream coloured plastered walls on a brick base, that dates from the early nineteenth century, with possibly earlier origins. The farmhouse has a three cell front range with wings extending to the rear, forming an almost square block. 10. The listed farmhouse sits forward of a cluster of single storey outbuildings that is set around a farmstead yard. The lower ridge height of the cluster of outbuildings is subordinate to that of the core of the farmhouse. The cluster includes a residential barn and outbuilding conversion to the rear of the listed farmhouse, and the cartlodge appeal building. As such the appeal building is part of the evolved farmstead setting of the listed building. 11. Together with the farmhouse mass, this location gives the listed building’s front facade, and south-western side facade facing towards the cartlodge, primacy viewed within the farmstead, and up the access off Wickham Road on one side of the farmhouse.

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions A combination of hipped black glazed and red pantiled roofing, chimneys and hoodmoulds adds character. These elements combine to give the listed building’s front and south-western side facades an authoritative presence. 12. As such, the listed building has evidential and historical value as an example of a large nineteenth century Suffolk farmhouse that has evolved from possibly earlier origins. Given the above, I consider the special interest of the listed building, insofar as it relates to this appeal, to be primarily associated with the legibility of its nineteenth century farmhouse architecture, within its evolved farmstead setting. https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions A combination of hipped black glazed and red pantiled roofing, chimneys and hoodmoulds adds character. These elements combine to give the listed building’s front and south-western side facades an authoritative presence. 12. As such, the listed building has evidential and historical value as an example of a large nineteenth century Suffolk farmhouse that has evolved from possibly earlier origins. Given the above, I consider the special interest of the listed building, insofar as it relates to this appeal, to be primarily associated with the legibility of its nineteenth century farmhouse architecture, within its evolved farmstead setting. https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions Appeal Decisions APP/W3520/W/20/3258595, APP/W3520/Y/20/3258599 13. The group of farmstead buildings has a mixed palette of red brick and cream plastered walls, pitched pantile and grey slate roofing, and the corrugated metal cladding of the appeal building. As such, the group of outbuildings has a red and grey coloured palette of exterior materials, distinct from the cream coloured plastered walls of the main farmhouse building. 14. A weatherboard-clad barn conversion on neighbouring land to the east is visible from the appeal site. That said, and although apparently less prevalent on rural outbuildings in the area than weatherboarding, corrugated metal cladding (CMC) is among outbuilding cladding materials on some farmsteads in the area. Moreover, the CMC appears in sound condition and precisely fixed to a sturdy timber-framed and block and brick walled cartlodge. As such, the CMC in this case does not convey an incongruous, poor quality ‘makeshift’ impression. 15. Appearing as a re-imagining of a historic style of farm outbuilding, the cartlodge is sufficiently modest in scale and separated in position to be subservient to the listed farmhouse.

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions Moreover, the cartlodge, with its CMC, is assisted in its assimilation into the evolved setting of the listed farmhouse by its historically authentic style of pantile roofing and elements of red brick walling. Also, the red and grey colour of the cartlodge’s mix of exterior materials blends in with the colour mix of the host cluster of outbuildings. Furthermore, the farmstead’s front garden vegetation visually softens views of the appeal building’s south-eastern elevation, approaching from Wickham Road. 16. Given the above, this leads me to find that the CMC-clad cartlodge fits in acceptably with the listed building and the evolution of the farmstead. The historic core of the listed farmhouse, including its authoritative front and side elevations remains dominant. These factors together result in the appeal scheme having a neutral effect on the setting of the listed building. 17. Given the above, I conclude that the appeal scheme preserves the setting of the Grade II listed building. This satisfies the requirements of the Act and the Framework.

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — Appeal Decisions Also, and while of limited relevance to the appeal made under section 20 of the Act, it would accord with Policies HB1 and HB3 of the Mid Suffolk Local Plan, and Policy CS 5 of the Mid Suffolk Core Strategy, which together seek to ensure that proposals conserve designated heritage assets and the historic environment. Conclusion 18. For the reasons given above I conclude that Appeals A and B should be allowed.

Black Swan Barn, Wickham Road, Thornham Magna, Eye, Suffolk , IP23 8LL — Mid Suffolk District Council — William Cooper INSPECTOR https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 3