Land North Of Bell Road , Bell Road, Rocklands, Norfolk, NR17 1UQ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the surrounding area
• whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the proposed development having regard to local and national planning policy and accessibility
• whether there is a valid exemption to otherwise mandatory biodiversity net gain (BNG) and whether there is a requirement for administrative, monitoring and title check fees to be paid in relation to the self-build and custom-build undertaking

What decided it

The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply engaged the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11(d), and the moderate benefits of housing delivery and self-build housing provision were not significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the moderate harm to character and appearance and locational conflict with the development plan.

The moderate harm to character and appearance and the conflict with development plan policies on location and settlement boundaries did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of housing delivery where there is a shortfall, the provision of self-build housing within a sustainable location with access to community facilities and bus services, and limited economic benefits, when assessed against the policies in the Framework taken as a whole under paragraph 11(d)(ii).