Land At (Os 8785 6801) Kidderminster Road Cutnall Green, Worcester, WR9 0PW

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposal is inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework (2024), taking into account the effect on the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of including land within it
• whether the proposal would provide an appropriate level of affordable housing
• whether the proposed development would provide a suitable location for the proposal, having regard to the development strategy for the area and accessibility to services and facilities
• if the development is inappropriate, 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 Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply (1.1 years) engaged the tilted balance under paragraph 11(d)(ii) of the Framework, which required permission to be granted unless adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed benefits, and the Inspector found they did not.

The conflict with the development strategy and accessibility limitations (moderate weight harm) were outweighed by the significant weight afforded to housing delivery benefits and the moderate weight of socio-economic and economic benefits, in the context of the severe housing land supply shortfall and the tilted balance under paragraph 11(d)(ii) of the Framework.