®Planning appeal decision
Bell Hill, Stapleton, Bristol, BS16 1BQ
Planning appeal 3296352 at Bell Hill, Stapleton, Bristol, BS16 1BQ (Bristol City Council) was dismissed on 21 March 2023 by Inspector Conde L, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the facilities offered by the Merchant Arms Public House should be retained to serve the needs of the local community, having regard to local and national planning policies.
Change of use from public house (Sui Generis) to mixed use Class F2 (Local Community Uses), Class C3 (retention and extension of existing dwelling) and Class C4 (regularisation of existing shared accommodation)
- Authority
- Bristol City Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- change of use · Change of use
- Inspector
- Conde L
- Postcode
- BS16 1BQ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the facilities offered by the Merchant Arms Public House should be retained to serve the needs of the local community, having regard to local and national planning policies
What decided it
The failure to demonstrate that the public house use is unviable, combined with the absence of alternative public house provision within a reasonable walking distance, means the proposal conflicts with Policy DM6 of the Local Plan, and this conflict is not outweighed by the modest housing and community benefits.
The conflict with Policy DM6 was given significant weight; the modest housing benefits (regularisation of 6-bed HMO and flat on brownfield land) and limited community benefits (function space less inclusive than a pub) did not outweigh the loss of the established public house use, resulting in adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighing benefits under the Framework.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DM6Policy BSC12Policy DM5
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 60
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.