An appeal to build 95 homes on the edge of Chilcompton, rejected by Mendip planners, has been refused by the planning inspectorate.

The developers had argued that the village needed homes as part of the local plan and they would be able to compensate for any increase demand on the local school.

But in the appeal report, it was calculated that should it have gone ahead Chilcompton would have seen the biggest increase in housing of any local villages - a 35% increase, significantly more than the guideline figure of 15% under Mendip housing plans.

The plans for homes on land at Hoecroft, in Chilcompton, were initially rejected in 30 July 2021.

The inspectorate visited the village back in December to see how the landscape would be impacted and its reported has been published last week (February 10)

It states : " The proposal would significantly harm the character and appearance of the area, adversely affecting the form of the village and surrounding landscape. It would not comprise a logical extension to the village, being an unduly large, individual estate, detached from its main built-up core. It would be incongruously located, encroaching into the countryside which extends into the heart of the village, eroding its character. " The three issues were considered :

• whether the proposal complies with the spatial strategy of the development

plan;

• the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area,

including the form of the village and landscape impacts; and

• whether the services and facilities of the village are able to accommodate the quantum of housing proposed.

The inspectorate noted that the hugely popular, and rated Outstanding local school, St Vigor and St John, was always oversubscribed. The proposed housing could generate around 31 primary age school applications with the school already turning down 18 local children over the past three years.

"So these children, presumably from the village, have to go elsewhere, generating private car journeys and an unsatisfactory situation for the children and their parents."

But they did note that the local doctor's surgery - a branch of the St Chad's practice in Midsomer Norton - while overworked like much of the country, could cope with the additional numbers.

The original application details and all the appeal rulings can be found under the Mendip planning site, under reference 2021/0421/OTS

You can read our story HERE: about the campaigners of Chilcompton Against Rural Over-development (CARO)