Policy change could see application for 18 holiday caravans in Pettaugh Road, Stowmarket, refused

A three-year-old holiday caravan application could be refused as a result of the council’s policy change.

The application was submitted by Stonham Barns Ltd and refers to the continued use of land in Pettaugh Road, Stowmarket, for the stationing of 18 holiday caravans and was initially considered by Mid Suffolk’s planning committee on January 21, 2021.

At the time, members of the committee determined they were minded to refuse the development on the grounds it would have an unacceptable visual and landscape impact and decided to defer it despite the officers’ recommendation for conditional approval.

Nearly three years later, following an independent report into the development’s visual impact, the application is set to appear before the committee once more later this week.

The report concluded the development would not be unacceptably intrusive to the area’s landscape and outlined several opportunities to mitigate any impacts.

However, due to the council’s recent approval of its Joint Local Plan (JLP), which outlines how planning applications should be considered, the officer’s recommendation is now to refuse the caravans.

This is because the new policy outlines the requirement for an overriding business need for the development due to being located in the countryside, something officers consider the application not to demonstrate.

The council report states the applicant was invited to respond to the relevant policies in the JLP but had refused to do so.

The application is set to be decided on Wednesday, January 17.