Land off The Mead, Rode, Frome , BA11 6NZ

erection of up to 29 No. dwellings with associated access and landscaping works

Authority: Mendip District Council *
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Bale M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the development on heritage assets
The character and appearance of the area, with regard to effects on the landscape and trees

What decided it

The cumulative harm to the significance of the Grade II* listed Merfield House, the Rode Conservation Area, and the non-designated Merfield Lodge, which the Inspector found was not outweighed by the substantial benefits of housing delivery despite the poor housing supply position.

The substantial weight attributed to the benefits of housing delivery and affordable housing did not outweigh the cumulative harm to heritage assets, particularly the Grade II* listed building of considerable importance; the balance tipped against the proposal.

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: Policy DP3, Policy DP4, Policy 2 of the Rode Neighbourhood Plan 2017

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.