®Planning appeal decision
Adjacent Heathfield Park Bristol Road Hewish, Hewish, BS24 6SG
the change of use of land from gypsy pony track/agricultural land to use for a Park and Ride car park for Bristol Airport with 3101 parking spaces plus arrival/departure area with construction of associated roads and surfaces and the erection of a reception centre
- Authority
- North Somerset Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- other · Change of use
- Inspector
- Jones G
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed use would accord with the Council's policy for the location of new development and its effect on sustainable modes of travel
- Its effect on the living conditions of nearby residents, having particular regard to noise
- Its effect on biodiversity, including in respect to the North Somerset and Mendip Bats Special Area of Conservation and Bats, Otters and Water Voles as protected species
What decided it
The significant harm to the living conditions of nearby residents from night-time noise, together with the separately decisive harms to protected species (otters and water voles) and to the SAC via loss of functionally linked bat habitat, each individually outweighed the claimed benefits.
The harms to living conditions (noise), to otters and water voles, and to the SAC and bats each individually and demonstrably outweighed the totality of the claimed benefits, even applying the tilted balance, so there was no presumption in favour of the development.
Plan policies cited: Policy CS23, Policy DM50, Policy DM30, Policy CS10, Policy DM24, Policy CS1, Policy CS3, Policy CS4, Policy DM8
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.