®Planning appeal decision
Land South of Warren Lane, Long Ashton, BS41 9DA
in the form of an application for outline planning permission for the erection of up to 35no dwellings, allotments and associated access, parking, drainage infrastructure and landscaping, with new access off Weston Road for approval and appearance, layout, scale and landscaping reserved for subsequent approval
- Authority
- North Somerset Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Fagan N
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed development would cause less than substantial harm to the significance of the Gatcombe Roman Site Scheduled Monument (the SM) and, if so, whether that harm would be outweighed by any public benefits
- Whether the proposals would result in inappropriate development in the Bristol & Bath Green Belt and, if so, whether any benefits arising from it would amount to the very special circumstances (VSCs) necessary to outweigh such harm and any other harm
What decided it
The public and heritage benefits did not outweigh the less than substantial harm to the significance of the Scheduled Monument, and did not amount to very special circumstances outweighing the Green Belt harm from inappropriate development and loss of openness.
The heritage, affordable housing, economic, open space, biodiversity net gain and allotment benefits, even taken cumulatively and at the weights argued for by the appellant, came nowhere near outweighing the harm to the significance of the Scheduled Monument nor the harm to the Green Belt from inappropriateness and loss of openness, so the balance tipped against the development.
Framework references: 8, 11, 15, 147, 148, 149, 199, 202
Plan policies cited: Policy CS5, Policy DM6, Policy CS17, Policy DM12, Policy CS32
Judgments cited: Euro Garages Ltd v SSHCLG (QBD) [2018] EWHC 1753 (Admin); Hayes judgement
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.