A bid to demolish outbuildings and put up three new houses in Hadleigh Heath has suffered another setback after a Secretary of State planning inspector dismissed an appeal.

Mr Andrew Rush appeal against the decision by Babergh to refuse his application in July 2021 for outline planning proposing the demolition of existing outbuildings and erection of three new dwellings within surplus garden amenity land serving Heath Farm, Hadleigh Heath, near Polstead, which was deemed to 'be in the countryside' in planning terms.

The inspector rules the site was not in a suitable location due to the lack of paths, or cycle lanes, and a regular, reliable bus service to Boxford, Hadleigh or Polstead.

His report stated: "Walking and Cycling, the general condition of local infrastructure, together with the distance to either settlement, is such that travelling by walking or cycling by future occupants would be very unlikely, particularly for occupants with young children or mobility issues, especially after dark or during inclement weather.

The report also highlights that the proposed development would extend the built development beyond the existing ribbon of development, creating backland development, which would be an alien feature that would adversely affect the urban grain of Hadleigh Heath.

He added: "It would extend into an area of paddock, extending the built development further west into the countryside and resulting in the introduction of domestic paraphernalia, both of which would erode the open character of the area and result in an urbanising effect that would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the surrounding area.

"The appellant considers that the proposed development could be screened by a comprehensive landscaping scheme. However, such planting would take a significant time to mature to a size and density to achieve this objective and in any event, screening should not be used to hide an otherwise unacceptable form of development."

Meanwhile, Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) for the appeal site concluded that there were suitable terrestrial habitats along the site peripheries for Great Crested Newts (GCNs), and one of four ponds located within 250m of the appeal site was assessed as average suitability. There were also 23 GCN records within 2km of the appeal site. The proposed development therefore would have the potential to harm a European Protected Species, although compensation could be paid.