Broadlands Fruit Farm Box Road Bathford

Object: The Trust objects strongly to the proposed principle of development on this Green Belt site. This site is not allocated for development in the Placemaking Plan and is outside the Housing Development Boundary. It is an isolated site located well away from any other development on this stretch of a busy A-road. It is not a sustainable location and situated well away from any pavement infrastructure and local services.
With the current use (which results in visual effects of mainly agricultural barn style buildings which maintain a rural character) the openness of the Green Belt is preserved. If the applicant’s assertions that the land is previously developed are to be taken as correct, then the applicant should be referring to the B&NES Existing Dwellings in Green Belt SPD which places considerable importance on having adequate justification for development that increases the volume of the existing dwelling and which affects rural character and the purposes of land in the GB. No such justification exists.
The proposed bland and boxy designs and regimented cul de sac layout with much hard landscaping do not appear to take cues from or reference the entirely rural context and in our view a development of the type proposed on this land will result in inappropriate development in the Green Belt which will harm the openness and rural character of this site and which is not justified by very special circumstances. It will introduce substantial built form and a suburban cul de sac appearance which will change the character of the site from rural to urban and contribute to urban sprawl (the restriction of which is a specific purpose of including land in the GB) and unwanted, unnecessary and potentially unsafe ribbon development along the A4.
We note also the fact that the road through the cul de sac stops abruptly at the border of the land; it looks like further development phases are planned at the west end of the site which would further exacerbate the substantial harm we have identified regarding the potential loss of the rural character of this site.
The proposed development by virtue of its location, appearance and land use would be harmful to the visual amenities and openness of the surrounding landscape, Green Belt and AONB and constitutes inappropriate development in the GB. The scheme would be contrary to Sections 13 (Protecting Green Belt Land) ,and 15 of the NPPF, policy CP6 of the B&NES Core Strategy and policies CP6, NE2, NE2A, CP8, GB1 of the Placemaking Plan. We would therefore recommend the application be withdrawn or refused.