19-03-2025
South Stoke: Developer loses appeal to build 290 homes
A developer has failed in a second attempt to get permission to build 290 homes on fields near Hignett Family Trust's initial proposal to develop land on the South Stoke plateau was rejected by Bath and North East Somerset Council last trust said the decision was "unreasonable" and appealed to the Planning the appeal, the inspectorate said the development would have an "adverse effect" on the Cotswolds landscape and that councillors were right to refuse permission.
The land sits within Bath's World Heritage Site and the Cotswolds National Landscape (the National Landscape term has replaced "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty").The 290 houses, 40% of which were designated as affordable homes, would have been built as part of the trust's "Sulis Down" trust has already built 170 Sulis Down homes, on land just west of the South Stoke land earmarked for Sulis Down was taken out of the green belt 10 years ago, for a "mixed-use" development of up to 300 homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting 290 homes, added to the existing 170, would have exceeded this figure by more than half.
After rejecting the appeal, planning inspector Tom Gilbert-Wooldridge said: "It is unlikely that any amount of suitable planting would be sufficient to visually screen the housing during the day or night."Therefore, there would be an adverse effect on the special qualities of the [Cotswolds National Landscape] in terms of views of the escarpment and high wolds landscape as well as dark skies."Somerset is facing a significant housing shortage, however, and Hignett Family Trust had said the homes would be "a beautiful new addition to the city of Bath". But locals warned they would cause "carmageddon" on from the South of Bath Alliance (Soba), alongside the council and local parish councils, raised £13,000 for a lawyer to fight the which held a protest against the homes at the initial planning decision in April 2024, thanked the "many volunteers" who helped "ensure the community's voice was heard"."This is a major success for [the council], South Stoke and Combe Hay parish councils and for the community members who have worked tirelessly over the past 12 years to oppose this excessive development," a spokesperson said.
Hignett Family Trust is now expected to block public access to the popular walking routes along the field boundaries on its Sulis Down of the trust's submissions to the appeal inquiry said: "If the appeal is dismissed, that the appellant will then take immediate action to prevent further public access."
