Land at Fairways, Southend Road, London, E4 8TA

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the development is inappropriate development in the Metropolitan Green Belt having regard to the revised Framework and any relevant development plan policies.
• The effect on the openness of the Metropolitan Green Belt.
• The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area.
• If the development constitutes inappropriate development, will the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harms, be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal.

What decided it

The severability of the restaurant use and roof alterations from the disproportionate ground floor extensions, combined with the fallback position and the Council's concession, allowed very special circumstances to be found for part but not all of the development.

The great weight given to the fallback position and roof alterations, together with the significant weight given to the Council's concession on the restaurant use, amounted to very special circumstances justifying permission for the restaurant use and roof alterations, but these considerations did not clearly outweigh the substantial harm from inappropriateness and loss of openness caused by the ground floor extensions and storage structures, which were refused.