Hillcrest, Abson Road, Pucklechurch, BS16 9SD

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposed development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework (2021) and any relevant development plan policies
• the effect of the proposal on openness and the purposes of including land within the Green Belt
• whether the location is suitable for dwellings having regard to policies restricting development in the countryside
• whether the proposal makes adequate provision toward infrastructure, with particular reference to affordable housing and open space
• if the proposal is inappropriate development 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 proposal fails to meet the exceptions policy requirements for rural affordable housing (being neither limited nor modest in scale, lacking Parish Council support and evidence of local need) and therefore constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt for which no very special circumstances exist.

The moderate weight of benefits (accessibility, economic benefits, electric charging points) does not clearly outweigh the substantial weight given to inappropriate development in the Green Belt, the moderate harm to openness, significant encroachment into countryside, and failure to accord with the development plan's locational strategy.