The council alleged that the unauthorised use harmed important bird habitats in the nearby Severn Estuary. It also complained that the number of flights harmed residents' amenity, undermined the use of the surrounding countryside for recreation and adversely affected the undeveloped nature of the coastal zone. The inspector decided that local habitats would be unaffected if a one kilometre-wide no-fly zone were enforced. The impact on local residents would not be seriously harmful, he held.
However he was concerned about the adverse impact on the recreational potential of the area, judging that the flights would undermine its sense of remoteness and tranquillity. The activity introduced a development to an area that was intended to remain largely undisturbed by urban influences, he concluded.
DCS No: 30538681; Inspector: David Baldock; Inquiry.
