9 Snitterton Road, Matlock, DE4 3LZ

9 Snitterton Road, Matlock, DE4 3LZ — Derbyshire Dales District Council — Appeal Decision Site Visit made on 11 August 2021 by Andrew Owen MA BA(Hons) MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 19 August 2021 Appeal Ref: APP/P1045/W/21/3274742 9 Snitterton Road, Matlock, DE4 3LZ • 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 Ben Wardman against the decision of Derbyshire Dales District Council. • The application Ref 21/00185/FUL, dated 10 February 2021, was refused by notice dated 21 April 2021. • The development proposed is the change of use from agricultural to leisure for the installation of two concrete pads to site to two timber glamping pods. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Preliminary Matters 2. In the banner above I have used the address given on the application and appeal forms. However, the appeal site actually comprises a piece of land on the far side of the field behind No. 9. Main Issue 3. The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area. Reasons 4. The field in which the appeal site is located is pasture and rises steeply from directly behind No 9 up to Salters Lane.

9 Snitterton Road, Matlock, DE4 3LZ — Derbyshire Dales District Council — Appeal Decision The field is crossed by a public footpath which runs from a point adjacent to No. 9 to the access to Greenhills Farm from Salters Lane. From this footpath spectacular views across Matlock, the Derwent valley and to the countryside further east draw the eye. However, pedestrians going up the hill would have, in front of them, views of the trees lining Salters Lane. Whichever direction one faces, the openness of the field dominates the foreground and is a strong positive characteristic. 5. The two pods would be accessed from Salters Lane using an existing access and, the appellant advises, they would be 2.4m in height. They would largely be hidden from views from Salters Lane by the trees and bushes along the roadside verge and by being on slightly lower land. They would also not likely to be visible from sections of the footpath nearest to No. 9 due to an undulation in the slope of the field. However, from the upper half of the footpath, the proposed pods would appear very prominently. In the absence of any other visible buildings in their immediate setting, they would appear from the footpath as isolated and incongruous built features. https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

9 Snitterton Road, Matlock, DE4 3LZ — Derbyshire Dales District Council — Appeal Decision Appeal Decision APP/P1045/W/21/3274742 6. As such, the pods would cause unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the area. They would therefore conflict with Derbyshire Dales Local Plan policies S4 and PD5 which both seek to ensure development protects the character of the landscape. The development would also fail to comply with Local Plan policy EC9 which seeks the same and also specifically requires camping development to be well screened by landscape features from areas outside the site to which the public has access. Other Matters 7. I acknowledge that tourism, including camping, is an important and established part of the local economy, and that this development would contribute to the supply of tourist accommodation. However, the contribution of just two pods would be of minimal benefit, even at the current time when domestic holidays are particularly popular. In any case, it does not outweigh the need for this development to protect the character and appearance of the area. 8. The appellant refers to other intrusive development, but I saw no other development nearby that appeared intrusive and without specific examples, this can have no bearing on my decision.

9 Snitterton Road, Matlock, DE4 3LZ — Derbyshire Dales District Council — Appeal Decision The lack of any objections from the public does not add positive weight to the planning balance. Conclusion 9. The development does not accord with the development plan taken as a whole and there are no other material considerations to suggest the decision should be made other than in accordance with the development plan. Therefore, for the reasons given above and having had regard to all other matters raised, the appeal is dismissed.

9 Snitterton Road, Matlock, DE4 3LZ — Derbyshire Dales District Council — Andrew Owen INSPECTOR https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2