Land at Hillview, Southend Arterial Road, Wickford, Essex, SS12 9HZ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt for the purposes of the National Planning Policy Framework and development plan policy
• The effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
• The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area
• The question of intentional unauthorised development
• The effect of the development on sensitive coastal habitats
• The question of the need for Gypsy/Traveller sites
• The personal circumstances of the site occupiers
• If the development is inappropriate, whether the harm to the Green Belt by way of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development

What decided it

The Council's undisputed significant and immediate unmet need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches, combined with policy failure over many years and the likelihood that future allocated sites would be in the Green Belt, clearly outweighed the harm to the Green Belt and other identified harms, establishing the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development.