National policy judged not to require reduction in car use in every instance

Since the council could not demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land policies seeking to restrict development outside settlement boundaries were judged to be out of date. In the inspector’s opinion it was inevitable that greenfield land would be required to meet future housing needs. He did not believe that the single dwelling would be particularly isolated because it would be sited on the fringe of the village bounded by the garden of a dwelling to the west and another property to the south. In his opinion occupiers would be no more isolated than others living in nearby dwellings.

Nor was the inspector convinced that the access to local services and shops rendered it unsustainable. The location would to some extent conflict with the aim of managing growth and making the fullest use of public transport, walking and cycling. But paragraph 20 of the NPPF acknowledged that opportunities to maximise transport solutions varied from urban to rural areas and it did not explicitly require the reliance on private motor vehicles to be reduced in every case. In his opinion it would assist in enhancing the vitality of the rural community and was therefore sustainable.

Inspector: Nigel Harrison; Written representations