Land North of Warminster Road , Beckington, Somerset

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposal complies with the spatial strategy of the development plan
• whether the education and healthcare infrastructure of Beckington is adequate to accommodate the proposed development and, if not, whether the scheme makes satisfactory provision to mitigate the impacts
• the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
• whether the scheme is capable of making adequate provision for surface water drainage, in order to ensure that it does not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere
• the effect on the safe and efficient operation of the local highway network

What decided it

The proposal's disproportionate scale relative to Beckington's existing housing growth and the village's infrastructure capacity constraints, combined with harm to character and appearance, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the housing supply benefits despite the Council's shortfall.

The significant benefits of housing delivery and affordable housing provision were outweighed by the cumulative adverse impacts of disproportionate growth, infrastructure inadequacy, and harm to character and appearance, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development was not engaged.