The Staffordshire Golf Club, Bridgnorth Road, Swindon, Dudley, DY3 4PU

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the appeal site would be a suitable location for housing with regard to local and national policies
• Whether the appeal development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the Framework and the development plan, and the effect of the appeal development on the openness of the Green Belt and purposes of including land within it
• The effect of the proposed surface water strategy on the water environment
• Whether adequate provision can be made for biodiversity net gain
• If the development constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt, would the harm, by reason of inappropriateness and any other harm, be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The substantial harm to Green Belt openness and the unsuitability of the location for housing, combined with the absence of very special circumstances to justify inappropriate development, outweighed the modest benefits of the scheme.

The harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and substantial harm to openness, together with the unsuitability of the location for housing, was not clearly outweighed by the other considerations including modest housing contribution, limited socio-economic benefits, and sustainable construction standards.