Broadfields Nursery, Broad Road, Braintree, CM7 5NJ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposed development is appropriate for a countryside location and compatible with the character and appearance of the surrounding area
• the effect on the living conditions of future occupiers of the development and neighbouring dwellings
• the effect on ecology in the area
• the effect on flood risk in the locality
• adequacy of infrastructure in the area to support the development

What decided it

The proposal's clear conflict with the spatial strategy and design principles of the development plan, particularly its incompatibility with the countryside location and semi-rural character of the area, combined with material harm to neighbouring living conditions and unresolved ecological concerns, decisively outweighed the limited housing and economic benefits.

The limited benefits of housing supply and economic activity during construction and occupation were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by lasting harm to the countryside, ecology, and living conditions of both future occupiers and neighbouring residents, particularly given the Council's demonstrated 5-year housing land supply.