Land South of Destiny Cottage, Friday Lane, Solihull, West Midlands, B92 0HZ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
• the effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
• the effect of the proposal on the character or appearance of the area
• whether the proposed development would provide a suitable location for housing, having regard to the accessibility of services and facilities
• the effect of the development on biodiversity
• whether the proposal would provide adequate means of surface water drainage and not increase flood risk
• the effect of the development on archaeology
• the effect of the proposal on highway safety, with particular regard to visibility
• whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal comprises inappropriate development in the Green Belt with substantial harm to openness and other material harms that are not clearly outweighed by the limited benefits, and the strong Green Belt policy reasons for refusal disengage the tilted balance despite the housing land supply shortfall.

The substantial harm to the Green Belt and significant to moderate harms to character and appearance, biodiversity, flood risk, archaeology and location sustainability were not outweighed by the limited social and economic benefits of two executive houses, and the strong Green Belt policy reasons for refusal disengaged the presumption in favour of sustainable development.