Oaks Farm, Hadleigh Road, Holton St Mary, CO7 6NW

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the site is a suitable location for the proposed development having regard to relevant development plan policies for development outside of settlement boundaries
• whether the proposed development would make adequate provision for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

What decided it

The fallback position of the prior approval for conversion of the existing barns to two dwellings under Class Q GPDO, which represents a realistic and undisputed material consideration that would result in no greater harm than the appeal scheme and therefore outweighs the identified conflict with the development plan.

The conflict with the development plan and Framework policies directing development to sustainable locations within settlement boundaries was outweighed by the substantial weight of the fallback position, which would result in no greater harm to the countryside character or sustainability of the location than the appeal scheme.