Tytherleigh Bathrooms and Farm Shop, Tytherleigh, EX13 7BE

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area with specific regard to trees
• whether the development would be in a suitable location, with particular regard to development plan policies and accessibility to services and facilities
• whether the proposal would include appropriate measures for surface water drainage
• the effect of the development on the integrity of the River Axe Special Area of Conservation

What decided it

The absence of a strategic mitigation scheme to address the adverse effect on the River Axe SAC through nutrient neutrality, combined with harm to character and appearance through tree loss and the location in open countryside, provided clear reasons for refusal that the housing supply shortfall could not overcome.

The benefits of brownfield reuse, housing provision and rural community vitality were outweighed by harm to character and appearance, conflict with countryside protection policies, and the likely adverse effect on the River Axe SAC integrity, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.