Cart Lodge in Green Belt Planning Appeal Allowed at Basildon

In 2025, I successfully appealed a refusal by Basildon Borough Council, securing planning permission for a single-storey detached cart lodge outbuilding, within the Metropolitan Green Belt, near Billericay.

The proposed development comprised an open-fronted double garage and store with a footprint of 72m².

The Council had refused permission, taking the view that the detached outbuilding constituted inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

The central planning issue was whether a physically detached outbuilding could be classed as an extension to the dwelling for the purposes of paragraph 154(c) of the NPPF, which permits extensions that do not result in disproportionate additions to the original building.

There was also ambiguity within saved Local Plan Policy BAS GB4 regarding whether detached garages should be treated as extensions.

I drew on relevant case law to establish that detached structures can constitute extensions where they represent a normal domestic adjunct to a dwelling, having regard to their purpose, use and siting.

The Inspector accepted this argument, finding that the outbuilding was conveniently and logically sited in relation to the property and served a function typical of a dwelling of this scale.

The open-sided design, and with the footprint representing only a 26% increase over the original dwelling's floor area, the Inspector confirmed the proposal was not a disproportionate addition and caused no harm to the character and appearance of the area.

The appeal subsequently was allowed.

Planning Appeal Advice

If you have a development project and you have received a planning refusal, contact me for practical advice on whether an appeal is the right option and how to proceed.

Andrew Ransome MRTPI Email: andrew@adpltd.co.uk | Tel: 01206 242070

About me

Andrew Ransome is the planning director at ADP and is a chartered member of the RTPI, with over 22 years of town planning experience.

Andrew has extensive experience offering strategic planning solutions to challenging projects in both rural and urban settings. Follow him on Linkedin.

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