3 Church Street, Woolley, Bath, Bath and North- East Somerset, BA1 8AS

Our Response

The proposal site is located within the indicative setting of the World Heritage Site, the Bristol and Bath Green Belt and the Cotswolds National Landscape.

The National Planning Policy Framework (December 2023) (NPPF) states at paragraph 154 “A local planning authority should regard the construction of new buildings as inappropriate in the Green Belt. Exceptions to this are:…b) the provision of appropriate facilities (in connection with the existing use of land or a change of use) for outdoor sport, outdoor recreation, cemeteries and burial grounds and allotments; as long as the facilities preserve the openness of the Green Belt and do not conflict with the purposes of including land within it;”

[It is not clear if the established land use is agriculture or if it is residential curtilage. If the former, planning permission may be required to keep horses on it for recreational purposes].

Relevant polices include Policy CP8, GB1and NE2 of the B&NES Local Plan, Core Strategy and Placemaking Plan, incorporating the Local Plan Partial Update (Volume 1 – District-wide Strategy and Policies) (January 2023) (Vol. 1).

Policy NE2 (3) states “Proposals with potential to impact on the landscape / townscape character of an area or on views should be accompanied by a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment [LVIA] undertaken by a qualified practitioner to inform the design and location of any new development.” (Vol. 1).

The officer will benefit from the opportunity of a site visit; however, in order to aid their – and any other party – in a proper consideration of the application and given the designations covering the site and much of the surrounding area, and the topography, a LVIA should be submitted in order that the impact of the development can be appropriately assessed.

The scheme is contrary to the provisions of Policy NE2 and as a proper assessment cannot be undertaken, unfortunately the submission cannot be supported by BPT.