Developers lodge appeal after Harborough council refuses two applications to build close to Langton Hall

Developers have lodged an appeal after Harborough District Council refused two applications for the same site.

Planning officers said the refusal was on the basis of ‘permanent and irreversible harm to nationally significant heritage assets.’

The first application was for two self-build houses on land adjacent to Langton Hall in West Langton made in June 2023 and the follow up planning bid was for one self-build on a smaller plot on the same site in October 2023. The initial bid had 15 objections.

In the original application, developers said the build was proposed for self-build and custom housebuilding that was ‘physically and visually connected’ to the existing cluster of homes at Langton Hall.

Refusing the application, planning officers said the proposal would introduce ‘substantial’ new home/s on land that forms part of the historic character of Langton Hall. They also said the location of the proposed development was not suitable for housing.

Planning officers said in conclusion on both applications the benefits of the development ‘carry less weight than the permanent and irreversible harm to nationally significant heritage assets.’

In its supporting information for the October application, developers noted the changes made as the number of buildings had reduced from two to one. Developers noted the size of the plot had reduced from 0.9 hectares to 0.49 hectares, storey height - usually based on the ceiling height of the rooms and floor thickness - had reduced from two and a half to two, and the area of the build had reduced from 999 square metres (about four times the size of a tennis court) to 294 square metres (just over the size of one tennis court).

In the planning appeal form, developer Tetlow King Planning Ltd requested a hearing to clarify the council’s approach to self-build and custom housebuilding. It said it also wants to know how the council’s position on heritage harm had been arrived at in the absence of a dedicated conservation officer, and the impacts of the council’s approach upon the planning and heritage balance.

A hearing date of Tuesday, July 30 is listed on the website for the appeal.