Former Wyevale Garden Centre, Hicks Gate, Keynsham, Bristol, BS31 2AD

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the proposal is inappropriate development in the Green Belt and the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt.
• Whether proposals made within the development scheme would offer a genuine choice of travel modes and encourage the use of sustainable modes of travel.
• The effects of the proposal on highway safety and the capacity of the A4 Bath Road.
• The effects of the proposal on landscape character, the appearance of the site and the visual amenity of the surrounding area.
• The effect of the proposed provision of commercial premises on the supply of employment land and floorspace, having regard to policies for regeneration and efficient use of land.
• The effects of planning conditions and planning obligations on the quality of the proposed development and mitigation of any potential adverse effects.

What decided it

The unacceptable impact on highway safety arising from unresolved deficiencies in both proposed A4 junction layouts and their traffic modelling, which alone justified refusal, combined with the failure to demonstrate very special circumstances to outweigh Green Belt harm.

The potential harms to the Green Belt and the additional identified harms (unsustainable location and highway safety) were not clearly outweighed by the employment and economic benefits and other positive considerations, so very special circumstances did not exist and the balance tipped against the proposal.