Decision made on homes plan on grounds next to Leicestershire heritage site

A planning inspector has approved plans to build on the grounds of Leicestershire's Grade-II listed Langton Hall despite them previously being rejected by officials. Two applications were put forward for the site in West Langton and their rejections subsequently appealed.

Applicants Clarity Property Epsilon Ltd twice applied to Harborough District Council last year to build within the grounds of the historic Grade-II property. The first, which featured in LeicestershireLive's top 10 list of the most controversial applications for 2023, was for two self-build houses on land adjacent to Langton Hall. It raised 15 objections at the time.

Just months later, a follow-up plan for one self-build on a smaller plot on the same site was made, but both outline schemes were rejected amid heritage concerns. Now, after Clarity Property Epsilon Ltd challenged the rejection, an inspector has approved the construction of the single property.

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In their appeals, the applicant demanded clarity from Harborough District Council on its approach to self-build and custom housebuilding. They also wanted to understand the council's position on heritage harm after it reduced the size of the original plan from two homes to one, while the height of the scheme had also been lowered.

Clarity Property Epsilon Ltd said answers were needed as the rejections had been made without a dedicated conservation officer, while the impacts of the council's approach to planning and heritage balance was also questioned.

A site inspection was carried out by the planning inspector to determine if any harm would arise from the schemes, with the inspectorate saying the first issue to consider regarding both appeals was the effect of the application on the designated heritage assets including the Grade II-listed Langton Hall and stable block.

The second issue, the inspectorate said, was whether the location of the appeal was acceptable taking into account development plan policy. The documentation stated that the application area was within an historic park and garden to the north of Langton Hall and stables.

The inspectorate noted that existing trees in the area were the subject of a tree preservation order, and would be kept with the house or houses being carefully sited in open grassland. In making its decision, the planning inspectorate said the proposal for two houses would "cause a moderate level of harm".

They said this was because the provision of two buildings plus the access road would lead to the loss of most of the open grassland. On the single house plan, the inspector found it could be erected "while still retaining a large amount of open grassland and trees".

The inspector believed the single home would lead to "harm at the lower end" of the scale for the heritage assets and gave permission for it to be built.

A previous version of this article said a decision had been made to allow the applications to go to appeal. This was incorrect and should have said an application has been allowed following an appeal. This has now been amended.

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