Northfields Farm , Eastcote Lane , Hampton In Arden, Solihull, B91 0AS

Construction of a new access road into Northfields Farm

Authority: Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: other · Other minor developments
Inspector: Plenty B

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposed development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies and its effect on the openness of the Green Belt
The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
If the proposal would be inappropriate development, whether any harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to very special circumstances to justify it

What decided it

The moderate harm to Green Belt openness and purposes, combined with modest harm to character and appearance, is not clearly outweighed by the limited private benefit to the farm occupiers, and therefore very special circumstances do not exist to justify the inappropriate development.

Framework references: 143, 152, 153, 154, 155

Plan policies cited: Policy P17, Policy P15

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

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