®Planning appeal decision
Land Adjoining Willow Barn, Stowey Road, Fivehead, TA3 6PR
the change of use of agricultural field and erection of a self-build dwelling
- Authority
- Somerset Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Evans J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the dwelling would be in a suitable location for residential development, having regard to national and local policy
- the effect of the scheme upon the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar
What decided it
The failure to demonstrate nutrient neutrality and secure the proposed mitigation for the Ramsar, combined with the unsustainable countryside location, provided strong reasons for refusal that outweighed the housing supply and self-build benefits.
The modest benefits of housing delivery and self-build provision were considerably outweighed by the significant harms to the Ramsar and the unsustainable location in open countryside remote from services and facilities.
Framework references: 11, 84
Plan policies cited: Policy SD1, Policy SS1, Policy SS2, Policy EQ4
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.