Policy information sourced from the Braintree District Council Local Plan 2013-2033.
LPP 38: Rural Workers Dwellings in the Countryside.
Applications for rural worker’s dwellings in the countryside will only be permitted in the following circumstances:
- a. There is a clearly established functional need for a full-time worker to live on the site in the countryside;
- b. The functional need could not be fulfilled by an existing dwelling either on the site or in the vicinity;
- c. There is no building on the site, or in the vicinity, which is capable of conversion to such a dwelling;
- d. The new dwelling should be well-related to any existing buildings, whilst retaining the ability to meet the identified functional need;
- e. The dwelling should be of a size commensurate with the rural enterprise’s need and should be able to be supported long-term by the rural enterprise;
- f. The unit and the rural activity concerned have been established for at least three years, have been profitable for at least one, are currently financially viable, and have a clear prospect of remaining so.
An application for a temporary rural workers’ dwelling in the form of a caravan, wooden building, or other easily dismantled structure, which does not comply with criteria (f) above may be granted for a period of up to three years if:
- There is clear evidence of a firm intention to develop the enterprise concerned.
- There is clear evidence that the proposed enterprise has been planned on a sound financial basis.
Applications for the removal of occupancy conditions will only be considered if evidence is provided to show that the need for a dwelling on that unit has ceased and that the property has been marketed in a way that reflects its limited occupancy condition.
For more information, please visit Braintree District Council’s Local Plan here.