Three Sons, Hampstead Lane, Nettlestead, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 5HN

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the appellant has gypsy status
• Whether the proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt
• The effect on the openness of the Green Belt
• The effect on the character and appearance of the area
• The effect on flood risk
• Whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness and any other harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to very special circumstances

What decided it

The substantial harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and loss of openness, combined with unacceptable harm to character and appearance and flood risk, was not clearly outweighed by the appellant's personal circumstances and need for a settled base.

The personal circumstances of the appellant and his family and the lack of alternative sites carried significant weight, but this was outweighed by the substantial harm to the Green Belt, the significant adverse impact on openness, the unacceptable effect on character and appearance, and the unacceptable effect on flood risk, such that very special circumstances did not exist.