Pine Lodge, Chilworth Drove, Chilworth, SO16 7JH

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the appeal site is a suitable location for a new dwelling, having regard to the Council's adopted spatial settlement policy and the accessibility of the site to facilities and services
• The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
• The effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the occupiers of Pine Lodge and the future occupiers of the appeal scheme, having particular regard to privacy
• The effect of the proposal on the integrity of the Solent and Southampton Water and New Forest Special Protection Areas (SPAs), having regard to additional nitrates and increased recreational pressure

What decided it

The appeal site is not a suitable location for new housing development because it lies outside the settlement boundary in countryside where no exceptions apply, and future occupiers would lack genuine choice of transport modes other than the private car, conflicting with both the development plan spatial strategy and Framework sustainability objectives.

The modest benefits of housing supply and family housing contribution were afforded moderate positive weight, but the significant harms from conflict with spatial settlement policy, inaccessibility to facilities and services, and material harm to character and appearance substantially and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework taken as a whole.