Chestnuts Farm, Eastcote Lane, Hampton-In-Arden, SOLIHULL, B92 0AS

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant development plan policies
• The effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
• The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
• Whether this is a suitable location for a waste recycling facility in the light of development plan policies
• Whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The substantial weight attached to harm to Green Belt openness and the failure to demonstrate that the benefits of the commercial uses clearly outweighed the identified harm meant that very special circumstances did not exist to justify the inappropriate development, except for the track and bund which provided agricultural benefits and landscape mitigation.

The substantial harm to the Green Belt through inappropriate development and loss of openness, combined with significant harm to character and appearance from the waste recycling, skip hire and office/parking uses, was not outweighed by the moderate economic and social benefits of farm diversification and employment creation; however, the limited harm from the agricultural track and the substantial landscape benefits of the bund were outweighed by their agricultural and screening benefits respectively.