The Central Area Planning Committee was scheduled to meet to discuss a planning application and a listed building consent application, as well as the minutes from their last meeting. The meeting was scheduled to be held in the Council Chamber at the Maldon District Council Offices. Remote public participation was available via Microsoft Teams.

Land at Maldon Hall, Spital Road

The committee was scheduled to consider planning application 25/00196/FUL and listed building consent application 25/00197/LBC for land at Maldon Hall, Spital Road. Mr & Mrs Worricker, were seeking permission for a single-storey extension to an existing double garage to create a new two-bedroom dwelling house.

The application site is located on the north-western side of Spital Road, outside the defined settlement boundary of Maldon. The site is located to the north of Maldon Hall, a Grade II listed building, within its curtilage¹. The existing garage is approximately 40m to the north of Maldon Hall.

The proposed development involves the conversion and remodelling of the existing garage structure, with the addition of a modern, pitched roof standing seam zinc extension linked to the north-western side. Accommodation would be spread across the ground floor, with a master bedroom located within the loft space of the existing structure. Access to the property would be from the shared driveway currently serving Maldon Hall. Parking for at least two cars would be provided to the front of the property.

The Assistant Director: Planning and Implementation recommended that the committee grant planning permission for the application, subject to conditions and the submitted Unilateral Undertaking, and grant listed building consent, subject to conditions.

The report pack noted that the application site is located outside of a defined settlement boundary and is within the open countryside, and therefore in conflict with policy S8 of the Maldon District Local Development Plan (LDP) 2014 – 2029. However, it also noted that due to the council's current Five-Year Housing Land Supply (5YHLS) position, the scheme should be assessed in accordance with paragraph 11d of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), where a presumption in favour of sustainable development applies.

The report pack stated that the site's proximity to Spital Road, and in turn access to public transport and local services within safe walking distance, meant that the site location was sustainable and would not result in increased reliance on private car use. It also noted that permission had been granted in July 2025 for a single dwelling 100m south of the site at Maldon Wycke (application ref 25/00216/FUL).

The report pack stated that the design and materials of the proposed development were considered acceptable and would comprise a sensitive development subservient to the host dwelling. It also stated that the proposal would cause no harm to the significance of Maldon Hall as a Grade II Listed Building.

The report pack included a number of proposed conditions, including:

• The development must commence no later than three years from the date of the decision.
• The development must be carried out in accordance with the approved plans.
• A schedule of the types and colours of the materials to be used in the external finishes of the dwelling must be submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• Details of all gates, fences, walls or other means of enclosure must be submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• A Construction Management Plan must be submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• Details of the surface water drainage scheme to serve the development must be submitted and agreed in writing by the local planning authority.
• Details of the foul drainage scheme to serve the development must be submitted and agreed in writing by the local planning authority.
• The developer must provide a Residential Travel Information Pack for sustainable transport, approved by Essex County Council, to include six one-day travel vouchers for use with the relevant local public transport operator.
• All mitigation measures and/or works must be carried out in accordance with the details contained in the Preliminary Ecological Appraisal incorporating Bat Survey Inspection (Open Spaces Landscape Architects, December 2023), and the Outline Mitigation Measures for GCN (Landscape Architects, February 2025).
• A Biodiversity Enhancement Strategy for protected and Priority species must be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.
• A lighting design scheme for biodiversity must be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.
• Information must be submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority in accordance with the requirements of BS5837:2012 in relation to tree retention and protection.
• Full details of both hard and soft landscape works must be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• No enlargement of the dwellinghouse(s), provision of any building within the curtilage of the dwellinghouse(s), or alteration of the dwellinghouse(s), as permitted by Classes A, AA and E of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of that Order shall be carried out without first obtaining planning permission from the Local Planning Authority.

Minutes of the Last Meeting

The committee was also scheduled to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 2 July 2025.