®Planning appeal decision
West Side, Honeyhurst Lane , Rodney Stoke, BS27 3UJ
Planning appeal 3292439 at West Side, Honeyhurst Lane , Rodney Stoke, BS27 3UJ (Mendip District Council *) was allowed on 4 September 2023 by Inspector Dignan P, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The main issues are the effect on character and appearance of the area and, if there is conflict with the development plan, whether there are other material considerations sufficient to outweigh the conflict (Appeal A).
Appeal A: enforcement appeal concerning stationing/residential occupation of a caravan in breach of condition; Appeal B: application under s.73 to vary/remove condition 5 restricting occupancy of a bungalow (extension to dayroom to form bungalow) to Gypsies and Travellers
- Authority
- Mendip District Council *
- Appeal type
- enforcement · Enforcement Notice
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- caravan-gypsy · Change of use
- Inspector
- Dignan P
- Postcode
- BS27 3UJ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The main issues are the effect on character and appearance of the area and, if there is conflict with the development plan, whether there are other material considerations sufficient to outweigh the conflict (Appeal A)
- Whether the occupancy condition is reasonable and necessary, having regard to: whether the bungalow can legitimately, or reasonably, be considered as a Gypsy/Traveller site; the location of the site; and the consequences of the loss of a gypsy and traveller site, if that is the case (Appeal B)
What decided it
The site's compliance with Policy DP15 and the substantial unmet need for Gypsy/Traveller sites outweighed the limited conflict with countryside policies CP1/CP4, while the occupancy condition on the bungalow was found to serve no useful purpose because condition 4 prevented it functioning as a genuine Traveller pitch.
The substantial weight given to meeting an identified shortfall in Gypsy/Traveller sites, together with the personal benefits of a stable family base and the limited weight attaching to conflict with Policies CP1 and CP4, meant the development accorded with the development plan as a whole and the appeal succeeded.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy CP1Policy CP4Policy DP15
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.