The Milking Parlour, Wilminstone, TAVISTOCK, PL19 0JT

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the appeal site is a suitable location for new residential development having regard to the requirements of the development plan, access to local services and facilities, and the balance of the local housing stock
• whether the proposal would include appropriate measures to meet carbon reduction objectives
• the effect of the proposal on the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries European Marine Site (comprising the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Tamar Estuaries Complex Special Protection Area (SPA))

What decided it

The appeal site is an unsuitable location for residential development in the countryside, distant from services and facilities, and the replacement of a small dwelling with a significantly larger four-bedroom dwelling would perpetuate housing stock imbalance contrary to the development plan, and these harms significantly and demonstrably outweigh the limited benefits even in the absence of a five-year housing land supply.

The limited benefits of housing provision, energy efficiency improvements, and claimed self-build and intergenerational living (afforded limited weight) were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the substantial policy conflicts with the development plan and the Framework's requirements for rural housing to enhance or maintain rural community vitality and promote sustainable transport, resulting in dismissal under paragraph 11(d) of the Framework.