Biddlestone Farm, Llangarron, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 6NT

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area (A, D, E, F)
• Whether the scheme would be at risk from flooding, having particular regard to sustainable drainage (A, B, C, D, E, F, G)
• The effect of the proposal on highway safety (A, C, E, F)
• Whether the scheme would make appropriate provision for green infrastructure (A, B)
• The effect on protected species (C)
• The effect of the scheme on the River Wye SAC and SSSI, designated European conservation sites (A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

What decided it

The unresolved harm to landscape character from the scale of the polytunnels and ancillary buildings, combined with the inability to rule out likely significant adverse effects on the River Wye SAC/SSSI, outweighed the benefits and led to dismissal of all seven appeals.

The economic and agricultural diversification benefits of the soft fruit enterprise did not outweigh the conflict with the development plan arising from harm to character and appearance (Appeals A, D, E, F), harm to protected species from an inadequate mitigation strategy (Appeal C), and unresolved risk to the integrity of the River Wye SAC/SSSI (Appeals A-G)