Chestnut Lodge, Smithy Green Lower Peover, Knutsford, WA16 9PW

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework
• the effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
• whether the proposal would have a harmful effect on European Protected Species
• 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 proposal

What decided it

The proposal fails to satisfy the transport and accessibility requirements of Framework paragraphs 110 and 115 necessary to qualify for the grey belt exception, and the absence of up-to-date ecological surveys creates fundamental uncertainty regarding harm to European Protected Species, together with the substantial harm to Green Belt openness, which cannot be clearly outweighed by the modest benefits of a single self-build dwelling.

The modest benefits of providing a single self-build plot and limited contribution to housing supply were substantially outweighed by the substantial harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, the loss of openness, the unsustainable location creating reliance on private car use, and the unresolved uncertainty regarding European Protected Species.