Land at The Old Surgery, Church Lane, Mobberley, KNUTSFORD, CHESHIRE, WA16 7QX

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the erection of the new building is inappropriate development within the Green Belt
• Whether the new building makes a positive contribution to its surroundings in terms of character, appearance and form, particularly in terms of local identity, quality of place and privacy
• Whether there is safe access to and from the site for all highway users
• If the erection of the new building constitutes inappropriate development, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, and so amounts to the very special circumstances required to justify it

What decided it

The fallback positions represented by twice-issued Lawful Development Certificates for comparable buildings, combined with the family's demonstrated intention and personal circumstances, constituted very special circumstances that clearly outweighed the harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and harm to rural character.