Land at Deer Park Farm, Deer Park Lane, Blandford, Dorset, DT11 7BN

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the siting of the proposed development would accord with national and adopted local planning policies for the location of new residential development
• The effect upon the character and appearance of the area, including the River Stour Meadows and the setting of the Dorset National Landscape
• The effect upon various heritage assets, with particular regard to the settings of Bryanston School and the Church of St. Martin, as well as the likely effect upon CA1 and CA2, and the effect upon the non-designated heritage asset of Bryanston School Park & Garden
• The flood risk implications
• The likely effect upon the local population of Greater Horseshoe bats

What decided it

The cumulative effect of conflicts with development plan policies on location of residential development, combined with less than substantial harm to multiple heritage assets that would not be outweighed by the public benefits of refugee accommodation, rendered the proposal unacceptable.

The public benefits of providing temporary accommodation for Ukrainian refugees and economic benefits during construction were outweighed by the less than substantial harm to the settings of Bryanston School and Church of St. Martin, harm to two conservation areas, harm to the character and appearance of the River Stour Meadows and Dorset National Landscape, inadequate flood risk assessment, and unacceptable risk to Greater Horseshoe bats.