Butterton Stud And Racing Stables, Park Road, Butterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 4DZ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the sites are suitable for residential development, having regard to their location, the proposed land use and the amount of development
• Whether the proposals would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and relevant development plan policies
• Whether the appeal sites would be appropriate locations for the proposed development having regard to the Council's development plan policies
• Whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposals

What decided it

The proposals fail to meet the sustainability criterion in NPPF paragraph 155 because future occupiers would be reliant on private cars to access services and facilities, and the Green Belt harm cannot be outweighed by the housing shortfall given the specific Green Belt policy exception in NPPF paragraph 11d.

The moderate but important contribution to housing shortfall (significant weight) was outweighed by the identified harm to the Green Belt and conflict with development plan policies, with no other considerations sufficient to justify the proposals