®Planning appeal decision
Land Adjacent to J4 M42, Box Tree Farm, Hockley Heath, Solihull, B94 6DX
a motorway service area, associated highway improvement works and other associated infrastructure
- Authority
- Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- other · Major retail and services
- Inspector
- Boniface M
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the extent to which the development would harm the Green Belt and its purposes
- the effect on the character and appearance of the area, including landscape and visual effects
- whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development
What decided it
The comparative extent of harm to the Green Belt and its purposes at each site, and whether that harm (with other harms) was clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to very special circumstances.
For Appeal A, the identified benefits (need, safety/welfare, economic and highway benefits, landscape and biodiversity gains) did not clearly outweigh the very considerable Green Belt harm and other harms, so the balance tipped against the proposal; for Appeal B, the lesser Green Belt harm together with heritage, ecological and economic benefits clearly outweighed the harms, tipping the balance in favour of the proposal.
Plan policies cited: Policy P7, Policy P8, Policy P9, Policy P10, Policy P11, Policy P14, Policy P15, Policy P16, Policy P17, Policy VC1, Policy T3, Policy T5, Policy ENV1, Policy ENV4
The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.