Decision details

Refused against the recommendation on the following grounds

1. The proposed development represents inappropriate development in the Green Belt. The motorway service station proposal would cause harm by definition to the Green Belt, significant harm to openness and to the character and appearance of the Green Belt, to the purposes of including land within it, namely the coalescence of Catherine-de-Barnes with Hampton in Arden and encroachment of development into the countryside and other harm, which includes the significant harm to the character and appearance of the area that carries substantial weight and loss of agricultural land which attracts moderate weight. The very special circumstances put forward by the applicant in support of the proposal do not clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and the other harm resulting from the proposal. The proposed development is therefore contrary to Policy P17 of the Solihull Local Plan, guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework and the objective in the Hampton in Arden Neighbourhood Plan to safeguard the Green Belt within the Parish as an integral and important part of the local Arden landscape and heritage.

Mr David Cuthbert, Mr Nick Roberts, Mr Richard Lloyd, Parish Councillors Giles Cook, Mike Blomer (statement read out) and Ken Blanch (statement read out) and Councillor Bob Sleigh spoke against the application whilst Mr Paul Bedwell spoke in support.