A Planning Inspector has concluded that an existing equestrian menage, lying within the rural village of Hockerton in Newark & Sherwood, does constitute land "within the village" and therefore is, in principle, suitable for new residential development.

Inspector Gary Deane stated that because the site visually "reads" as part of the village and is distinct from the open, undeveloped land further to the northwest and southwest it should be treated in a similar way to plots that have already been approved by the Local Planning Authority elsewhere in Hockerton.

As he concluded that the site is within the village and not within open countryside, the Inspector chose not to comment on whether the menage should be regarded as previously developed or not, which was another interesting point raised by GraceMachin.

This appeal decision has led to us being able to secure full planning permission for an individually designed, self build family home.

A careful design that resembles a barn/stable conversion was promoted by GraceMachin and deemed to not look out of place towards the edge of a rural village and thus would compliment the character and appearance of the local area.

The Council referred to its "Healthy Housing Land Supply" position and that there had been recent growth of new homes in Hockerton. However GraceMachin was able to show that despite this, the relevant planning policies do not set a numerical ceiling.

The Governments aim is to boost the supply of new homes and significantly so. Our proposal will contribute to that aim by adding to the local housing stock. It will also widen the choice for prospective occupiers. The scheme will make efficient use of land that we say is brownfield and the new building will be designed to be energy efficient. There will also be economic benefits for the sale of materials during construction and from the wider build process. GraceMachin also secured support from Hockerton Parish. All of these considerations weighed in support of our proposal.