Biddulph Moor homes proposed on land off Farmside Lane have won permission in principle for up to seven dwellings. Inspector C McDonagh allowed the appeal on 13th October 2026, finding that a suitable detailed design could be developed for the village-edge site in Staffordshire Moorlands.
The Biddulph Moor homes decision concerns land south of the lane, beside a farmhouse and agricultural buildings, with the built-up village mainly to the north. It overturns Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s refusal of application SMD/2026/0099. It settles whether housing is acceptable in principle, rather than giving permission to start constructing a completed scheme.
I would keep that distinction firmly in view. Up to seven homes have cleared the first stage, but their number, layout and appearance are not fixed by an approved detailed design. Neighbours’ concerns about drainage, ecology, noise and highway safety have not disappeared; the Inspector identified them as matters for the next consent stage.
What the Biddulph Moor homes appeal decided
Permission in principle is a two-stage route for housing-led development. The first stage considers location, land use and the amount of development. A later technical details consent application assesses the detailed proposal. This appeal related only to the first stage.
The Inspector’s main issue was whether the site’s location and proposed housing use were suitable, particularly in relation to the area’s character and appearance. The council did not object to the location in terms of its development plan’s distribution of housing.
That did not remove the need to consider the rural setting. The site lay at the edge of the settlement, where buildings were significantly less prevalent south of Farmside Lane than north of it. Open countryside extended to the south and east.
The Biddulph Moor homes proposal therefore involved more than filling an entirely enclosed urban gap. The Inspector described sloping land, grazing fields, hedges and trees, with views from Broomfields and from Farmside Lane near its junction with Rudyard Road. That rural setting contributed positively to the area’s character.
Rural change was recognised, but design remained open
The Inspector accepted that housing, roofs, parking and hardstanding would urbanise an open, green parcel of land. More dwellings would contribute more to housing supply, but a higher density would also jar with the site and wider countryside to the south and east.
However, the proposal was for up to seven dwellings. The number was not fixed, and the indicative plans did not determine the eventual layout or appearance. The Inspector considered whether a suitable design could emerge at the technical details stage, rather than deciding a finished scheme.
There was no specific landscape designation, and the evidence did not identify another constraint such as the setting of a heritage asset. The Inspector regarded the views as pleasant but otherwise unremarkable. There was nothing before the Inspector showing that suitable design could not preserve the area’s character or minimise housing-related harm.
In the full official decision, the Inspector concluded that “an appropriate detailed design” could be agreed at the next stage. That finding supported the Biddulph Moor homes appeal. It was an assessment of the scope to design an acceptable development, rather than approval of every possible seven-home arrangement.
Local policies and the Green Belt position
The Inspector found that the location and land use could accord in principle with the relevant Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan and Biddulph Neighbourhood Development Plan policies. Those policies sought good-quality development that respected its surroundings and added value to the area.
The Inspector also considered the August 2026 National Planning Policy Framework. The decision referred to its expectation that development should respond to the history, character and features of a site and its setting.
The council had determined that the proposal would not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt. Having considered the evidence and visited the site, the Inspector saw no reason to disagree. The decision does not set out a separate finding that the land is grey belt, so I would not attach that label to the outcome.
The council also accepted that it could not demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing land. The Inspector said residents’ questions about the need for more housing were addressed in the council’s own assessment, given the conclusions on the main issue.
Technical details remain a real stage
The Biddulph Moor homes still need a technical details consent application before the development can proceed. The Inspector expressly identified ecology, highway safety, drainage and noise as technical matters to be addressed through that process.
This should help local residents focus on the right questions. The first-stage decision accepts housing in principle at this location and amount. The later application will need to show how the actual scheme works, including the relationship between its design and the surrounding countryside.
No conditions were attached to the grant. The Inspector explained that conditions cannot be imposed on permission in principle. That is a feature of this particular route, rather than a conclusion that detailed safeguards are unnecessary.
For the Biddulph Moor homes applicant, my reading is to use the remaining design flexibility carefully. The appeal succeeded because the Inspector could see scope for an appropriate solution. A later layout still needs to deliver that solution; the permission in principle does not approve an illustrative drawing by default.
The official appeal record identifies reference 6012786 and Karen Pitcher as the appellant. For comparison, the recent Guiseley homes appeal also involved permission in principle, although its site, evidence and planning issues were different.
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