Agenda item

Crabtree New Farm York Road Deighton York [18/01256/FUL]

Use of agricultural land for siting of 2 glamping cabins (resubmission) [Wheldrake Ward]

Minutes:

Members considered a full application from Anna Hopwood for the use of agricultural land for the siting of two glamping cabins (resubmission).

 

The Head of Development Services gave an update, advising that paragraph 4.9 of the Committee Report referred to paragraph 145 of the NPPF which stated that the construction of certain new buildings was not inappropriate in the Green Belt. This included the provision of appropriate facilities (in connection with the existing use of land or a change of use) for outdoor sport or outdoor recreation, providing the facilities preserved the openness of the Green Belt and did not conflict with the purposes of including land within it. As a point of clarification, Officers considered that even if the proposal were to be considered appropriate facilities for outdoor recreation, the proposal would still not fall within the forms of development considered not inappropriate within paragraph 145 of the NPPF as a result of the identified impact on openness as detailed within the committee report. The Head of Development Services clarified that this did not alter the officer recommendation and she noted the amended reason for refusal.

 

Anna Hopwood, the Applicant, spoke in support of the application. She noted the application had reduced to two cabins which would be non permanent leisure buildings with the car parking located in a different area. She explained that because of the overhead power lines the cabins could not located on a different part of the site. She outlined the size of the cabins noting that they would make minimal visual impact and would be constructed from sustainably sourced materials. She stated that there had been no objections to the application and there had been support from local businesses. She noted the financial pressures which had led to the need for diversification.

 

Anna Hopwood was asked and confirmed that there had been no discussions with officers regarding changing the cladding on the cabins and she added that they would age and look the same as the other buildings on the farm in time.

 

In response to Member questions, Officers confirmed that:

·        If the application was for caravans this would not be allowed.

·        Building and landscaping would have a detrimental impact on the openness of the site.

 

Following debate it was:

 

Resolved: That the application be refused.

 

Reasons:

                     i.        The site lies within the general extent of the Green Belt as identified in the RSS to which S38 of the 1990 Act applies. The proposal is therefore assessed against the restrictive policies in the NPPF relating to protecting the Green Belt.

 

                    ii.        The NPPF indicates that very special circumstances cannot exist unless the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm caused by the proposal, is clearly outweighed by other considerations. In this case, the proposal conflicts with one of the five purposes of including land within the Green Belt and has significant impact on the openness of the Green Belt as a result of the introduction of the cabins within an otherwise undeveloped location. The proposal is inappropriate development and substantial weight is to be attached to these harms to the Green Belt. In addition, the proposal would also significantly harm the character and appearance of the landscape through the urbanising impact from the cabins. The applicant has put forward a case for very special circumstances to clearly outweigh these harms which include the future viability of the farm and need to diversify; the good location of the site and the impact on the local economy. Officers do not consider that these considerations collectively are of sufficient weight to clearly outweigh the significant harm identified to the Green Belt (to which substantial weight attaches) and other harm identified to the character and visual amenity provided by the rural landscape. Therefore the very special circumstances necessary to justify the inappropriate development in the Green Belt do not exist and planning permission should be refused.

 

                            iii.            It is considered that the proposed glamping cabins are inappropriate development and will result in harm to the openness of the Green Belt and will conflict with the purposes of including land within it by failing to safeguard the countryside from encroachment. Additional harm has also been identified as a result of the impact of the introduction of the glamping cabins in to an otherwise rural landscape.  The circumstances put forward by the applicant do not clearly outweigh this harm and therefore do not amount to very special circumstances for the purposes of the NPPF.  The proposal is, therefore, considered contrary to advice within the National Planning Policy Framework, in particular section 13 'Protecting Green Belt land'.

Supporting documents:

 

Feedback
Back to the top of the page