Land at Farleigh Farm and 54 and 56 Farleigh Road, Backwell, BS48 3PD

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal on the spatial strategy for housing development in the settlement and District
• The form of development proposed and its effect on the character of the settlement and its landscape setting, and also on the setting, tranquillity and recreational value of the Farleigh Fields Local Green Space
• Whether the Council is able to demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land, and the contribution of the appeal scheme to supply matters
• The consistency or otherwise of the proposal with the development plan taken as a whole, and whether any conflict and harm arising would be outweighed by other material considerations

What decided it

The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply (assessed at 3.5 years), which engaged the tilted balance and reduced the weight attributable to conflict with the settlement strategy, allowing the housing and other benefits to outweigh the residual harm.

The benefits of the proposal, particularly the delivery of market and affordable housing and self-build plots in a context of a significant housing land supply shortfall, together with economic, open space and biodiversity benefits, were found not to be significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the limited/moderate harm arising from conflict with the settlement strategy and character policies.