The owners of a farm site next to Erwarton Hall have lodged an appeal against Babergh District Council's decision to refuse permission for five houses and demolition of existing metal clad barns.

JRH Veenbaas and Co. have applied to the Secretary of State to overturn the Babergh planning committee's decision, which followed the officer's recommenadation for refusal.

Grade II listed Erwarton Hall (Picture: Nub News)

The appeal will be heard in person in January, with the exact venue to be confirmed.

Babergh rejected the application on the grounds that:

• The proposal would cause less than substantial harm to the character, setting and significance of the Grade II* Erwarton Hall, its Grade I Gatehouse and the undesignated heritage asset barns through the fundamental change of use from a working farmyard to residential dwellings.
• The proposed unsympathetic glazing, inappropriate materiality, poorly designed and excessive extensions would create harm to these assets as well as to the AONB landscape.
• The proposal site is in an unsustainable location, isolated from services, with poor pedestrian access, causing a heavy reliance on the use of private motor vehicles.
• The application has also failed to secure a proportionate financial contribution towards visitor management measures for the Stour and Orwell Estuaries as per the Recreational Disturbance Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy (RAMS).

The Veenbaas family and agents will argue Babergh have got the decision wrong and permission should have been granted on planning law and policy grounds.

More details about the application can be found on the Babergh planning website - using reference: DC/22/05131