Devon CPRE has welcomed a Planning Inspector’s decision to dismiss an appeal made by a developer who wanted to build houses on agricultural land in Northam, near a Viking battle site – a proposal that both the charity and residents had objected to.
Bloody Corner is thought to be the site of a battle between Danes and Saxons in AD 878, in which the Viking King Hubba was killed. A Grade-II-listed Stone Tablet nearby dates from the 19th century and is said to commemorate the location of the Viking battleground or the Battle of Northam in around 1069.
Torridge District Council and a Planning Inspector had refused earlier outline proposals for up to 39 homes in this location because of concerns about the impact on the Coastal and Estuarine Zone of the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan. Developments within the zone should only be supported if they do not detract from the unspoilt character and appearance of the area.
The latest application was refused again by Torridge District Council and, again, the applicant appealed the decision, arguing that the scheme met council policy because of the lack of a five-year land supply for new homes.
But this latest appeal dismissal concluded that housing would urbanise the semi-rural setting of the stone tablet, diminishing its interpretation and undermining its significance. The inspector said that, for these reasons, the proposal would ‘have a harmful effect on a heritage asset. As such, it would conflict with Local Plan policy ST14, which requires protection of the historical dimension of the landscape’.
Aside from the impact on landscape and heritage assets, the appeal also considered whether the proposal would accord with the spatial strategy of the Development Plan. In conclusion, the inspector said, “I consider that the adverse impacts of granting permission would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the Framework read in the round.”
Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills says, “We are delighted with the Inspector’s conclusions, which accord with the views of Devon CPRE, local people and the Residents’ Association. This is not a suitable site for housing, even though a third of the proposed homes were characterised as ‘affordable’ and there’s a need for such homes in North Devon and Torridge. But new homes need to be built in the right place.
“It’s quite rare nowadays for an appeal to be dismissed, and we couldn’t be more pleased that it has been. The Inspector’s considerations make interesting reading in respect of the emerging Neighbourhood Plan, the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan and the perceived harm to the semi-rural setting of the historic stone tablet.”
