Hengoed Fields, Upper Hengoed, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7EY

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area
• the issue of intentional unauthorised development (IUD)
• whether the scale of the development is acceptable having regard to need
• whether the development could be served by suitable foul and surface water drainage
• whether it is served by a suitable and safe means of access
• if unacceptable in any of these respects, whether the general need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches and the supply of sites justify granting planning permission

What decided it

The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable Gypsy and Traveller pitches engaged the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11(d), and the identified harms were found not to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of meeting that unmet need.

The moderate benefit of providing pitches to meet an unmet local need, together with very limited weight against intentional unauthorised development, were not significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the moderate harm to the character and appearance of the countryside, so paragraph 11(d) of the Framework directed that permission be granted.