ALANS HECTARE, CEMETRY LANE, HADLOW, TN11 0LT

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
• the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area
• the question of the need for gypsy/traveller sites
• the personal circumstances of the site occupiers
• 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 necessary to justify the development in the Green Belt

What decided it

The combination of substantial unmet need for gypsy and traveller sites, the total absence of a five-year supply of deliverable sites, and the lack of a credible plan-led solution amounted to very special circumstances clearly outweighing the Green Belt harm, even before the child's personal circumstances were taken into account.

The substantial weight attached to the Green Belt harm from inappropriate development and limited loss of openness was clearly outweighed by the combined substantial and significant weight given to unmet gypsy and traveller need, absence of a five-year supply of sites, policy failure, unavailability of alternative sites, moderate weight to the site's integration with the settlement, and substantial weight to the personal circumstances of the child, amounting to very special circumstances justifying a permanent permission.