We were pleased to assist Great Somerford Parish Council in resisting the development of a field within the village for 2 homes. The field is of importance to the local community and had been designated as Local Green Space as part of its Neighbourhood Plan.
Master Land & Planning provided the client with a letter of representation, pointing out the relevant policies and material considerations weighing against the proposal. The permission in principle application was refused by Wiltshire Council, but the applicants appealed against this decision.
The Appellants called into question the evidence supporting the designation of the site as Local Green Space, however we had made the argument that this designation was subject to scrutiny at the time that the Neighbourhood Plan was made. The site, which was used regularly including by dog walkers even on the day of the Planning Inspector’s site visit, was clearly of importance to the local community and the Inspector acknowledged this in the decision.
The development of the site would also have obliterated a key open space that was entirely characteristic of the village, and this was deemed to be harmful to the Conservation Area.
The appeal was dismissed, with the harm to the Conservation Area and Local Green Space held to outweigh the modest benefits of housing. This provided a clear basis for refusing planning permission despite the presumption in favour of sustainable development.
