Wells Holiday Park, Haybridge Farm, Haybridge Wells, BA5 1AJ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect upon the character and appearance of the area, including the setting of Wells and whether there would be any potential coalescence of Wells and Haybridge
• whether the proposal would provide adequate living conditions for future occupiers
• the likely effect upon highway safety along the A371
• whether the proposal would include adequate mitigation in terms of resource efficiency and low carbon initiatives so as to help tackle climate change
• whether the proposal would assist in meeting the housing needs of the local community by providing an adequate mix of house types and an element of affordable housing
• whether adequate public open space provision exists or could be made available to meet the recreational needs of residents/occupiers

What decided it

The difference in landscape prominence and visual impact between the two sites: Appeal A's touring caravans would be readily identifiable as an ungainly extension of housing into countryside with moderate adverse impact, whereas Appeal B's smaller lodge site would be settlement rounding-off with only very limited adverse impact, making the latter's benefits outweigh its harms under the tilted balance.

For Appeal A: adverse impacts (countryside conflict, moderate character harm, inadequate amenity space, population imbalance, housing need failure, open space deficiency) significantly and demonstrably outweighed housing supply benefits. For Appeal B: adverse impacts (countryside conflict, limited character harm, housing need failure) did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh housing supply benefits under the tilted balance.