®Planning appeal decision
Paper Mill Cottage, St. Catherine, Bath, BA1 8HG
Planning appeal 3348631 at Paper Mill Cottage, St. Catherine, Bath, BA1 8HG (Bath and North East Somerset Council) was allowed in part (a split decision) on 12 March 2026 by Inspector Russell J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the material change of use to the appeal mixed use and erection of storage building amounted to inappropriate development in the Green Belt.
1. Without planning permission, the mixed use of the property, comprising a caravan site, residential use and a holiday let. 2. Without planning permission, the erection of a storage building
- Authority
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Appeal type
- enforcement · Enforcement Notice
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- caravan-gypsy · Change of use
- Inspector
- Russell J
- Postcode
- BA1 8HG
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the material change of use to the appeal mixed use and erection of storage building amounted to inappropriate development in the Green Belt
- The effects of the developments on openness of the Green Belt, character and appearance of surrounding rural area and landscape and scenic beauty of the Cotswolds National Landscape
- Effects on biodiversity
- Whether the site is in a suitable location for the appeal mixed use with regard to planning policy objectives for travel and highway safety
- Whether any harm caused by reason of inappropriateness and any other harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to very special circumstances
What decided it
The material change of use to introduce a caravan site use alongside the existing dwellinghouse and holiday let constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt which causes harm by reason of inappropriateness that is not clearly outweighed by other considerations, and very special circumstances do not exist to justify it.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Core Strategy Policy CP8Core Strategy Policy CP6Placemaking Plan Policy GB1Placemaking Plan Policy D2Placemaking Plan Policy D6Local Plan Partial Update Policy NE2Local Plan Partial Update Policy NE3Local Plan Partial Update Policy NE3ALocal Plan Partial Update Policy ST7
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 154Paragraph 155
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
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- Notice upheld13 July 20263363347Lorne Road Car Park, Westmoreland, Bath, BA2 3BZ
The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.