®Planning appeal decision
Naish's Cross, Chilcompton
the erection of up to 95 dwellings with public open space, landscaping and sustainable urban drainage system
- Authority
- Mendip District Council *
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Reed D
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposal complies with the spatial strategy of the development plan
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including the form of the village and landscape impacts
- whether the services and facilities of the village are able to accommodate the quantum of housing proposed
What decided it
The substantial harm to the character and appearance of the area, including the form of the village and the resulting landscape and visual harm, which the Inspector described as the clearly overriding and decisive factor.
The significant benefits of housing and affordable housing delivery, together with limited economic and minor biodiversity/open space benefits, were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the limited harm to the spatial strategy, the substantial harm to character and appearance, and the significant harm arising from uncertain primary school expansion, when assessed against the NPPF policies taken as a whole.
Framework references: 11, 33, 105
Plan policies cited: CP1, CP2, CP4, DP1, DP4, DP7, DP11, DP2, LP1
Judgments cited: Shadwell Estates Ltd v Breckland DC WL 127846 (2013)
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.