Land to the east of Church Lane and north of Front Street, Churchill, BS25 5LZ

the erection of up to 62 dwellings (30% affordable housing) alongside a new access, landscaping and other associated works

Authority: North Somerset Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Inquiry
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Fleming L

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, the Churchill Conservation Area, the grade I listed St John's Church and the landscape including the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
whether the site would be a sustainable location for the proposed development having regard to the development plan and national policies

What decided it

The less-than-substantial harm to the setting and significance of the Churchill Conservation Area and the grade I listed St John's Church, both carrying great weight, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the public benefits of the scheme.

the substantial weight given to housing and affordable housing delivery, significant weight to economic benefits and biodiversity net gain, and moderate weight to drainage betterment were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the great weight attached to harm to the Conservation Area and listed building, reinforced by moderate landscape and visual harm

Framework references: 207, 130, 174, 195, 11, 60, 81

Plan policies cited: CS5, DM10, CS32, CS14, CS33, DM3, DM4, DM5, CS16, DM11

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.