Residential development permitted in the Green Belt at former Barrow Gurney Hospital
CSJ Planning Consultants, working on behalf of Del Piero Ltd, have secured planning permission for the redevelopment of the former Barrow Hospital in Barrow Gurney to provide 80 No. residential dwellings within the North Somerset Green Belt. The Local Planning Authority initially resolved to grant planning permission for the redevelopment of the site at committee in June 2017, subject to the completion of a S106 agreement securing contributions towards affordable housing, education, library services, sports, leisure and community facilities, and a residential Travel Plan.
Planning permission was subsequently granted in January 2018.
The proposal consisted of two planning applications, for 66 No. dwelling and 14 No. dwellings, referred to as Areas A-D & Area E. The site has a complex planning history, arising following the closure of the former hospital in 2006. Planning permission has previously been granted for schemes including an office and leisure complex in 2005 and an alternative scheme comprising of a care village and 43 No. dwellings in 2013. The care village consent has been partially implemented, with the delivery of the C3 residential dwellings by David Wilson Homes.
Although the site is located in open countryside and the Green Belt, its former use means that it is classified as ‘previously developed land’ according to Annex 2 of the NPPF. Policy DM12 of the adopted Sites and Policies Plan outlines that the complete redevelopment of previously developed land is appropriate development in the Green Belt, provided that it would not have a greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt, or conflict with the purpose of including land in the Green Belt.
CSJ demonstrated that the proposals would not have a greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt, as the proposals would result in a net reduction of building footprint when compared to the former hospital buildings on-site. It was also demonstrated that the proposals would not harm the internationally significant habitats, in particular numerous very rare species of bat.
Overall, when assessing the planning balance, North Somerset Council determined that the proposal as a whole, when taking into account the acute need for deliverable housing land and the site’s status as previously developed land, constituted sustainable development in accordance with NPPF 14.
