®Planning appeal decision
Former Radio Station, Watts Quarry Lane, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 7JE
Planning appeal 3318600 at Former Radio Station, Watts Quarry Lane, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 7JE (South Somerset District Council *) was dismissed on 18 December 2023 by Inspector Nicholls H, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the location of the development accords with local and national policies that seek to provide residents with convenient access to facilities and minimise the dependency on private vehicle.
provision of a single dwelling and double garage with associated access and parking
- Authority
- South Somerset District Council *
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Nicholls H
- Postcode
- TA11 7JE
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the location of the development accords with local and national policies that seek to provide residents with convenient access to facilities and minimise the dependency on private vehicle
- the effects of the proposal on the Somerset Levels and Moors Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site (SPA)
What decided it
The likely significant effects on the Somerset Levels and Moors SPA from increased phosphate loading, in the absence of a properly secured mitigation strategy, constitute a clear reason for refusal under NPPF paragraph 11d)(i).
The modest housing contribution and completion of the site's redevelopment were outweighed by the likely significant adverse effects on the SPA in the absence of secured mitigation, which provides a clear reason for refusal under the tilted balance.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy SS1Policy SS2Policy SD1Policy EQ4
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
- Judgments
- Wheatcroft Ltd v SSE [1982]; City & Country Bramshill Ltd v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2021] EWCA Civ 320
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
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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.