PPA | The Barn, Commonmead Lane, Old Sodbury, BS37 6FF

The Barn & Equestrian Facilities, Commonmead Lane, Old Sodbury PROFESSIONAL PLANNING APPRAISAL

(c) the proposal(s) is of a scale which is consistent with its function, use and rural

location.”

3.12 The explanatory text to the policy is also helpful in relation to holiday lets, where it

notes that: -

“With respect to the conversion of existing rural buildings, where it can be

demonstrated that a business use of some description, including other tourism

related activities, cannot be achieved, conversion for holiday accommodation

would be preferable to a permanent residence in more remote locations, where

this would take pressure off other housing in rural areas for holiday accommodation.

Where buildings are to be used for holiday accommodation only, the Council will

impose conditions restricting occupancy.”

3.13 There is also some limited potential to look at the erection of new buildings for

business, including tourism such as additional holiday lets, within the equestrian

paddock. This area of development is governed, once again, by policy PSP28 –

Rural Economy. In this location (outside of the Green Belt), the key considerations

are listed above in the quoted policy, but summarised as (i) how connected the site

is to existing settlements, (ii) the scale, design and character of the proposed

buildings, and (ii) the impact of any new development on the AONB landscape. In

terms of the latter, please see Constraints section, below.

3.14 Finally, as the site is within open countryside, but is not isolated or remote from a

settlement i.e. the site is <500m from the Old Sodbury settlement boundary; there

could also be some limited scope to research the possibility of a Rural Housing

Exception Site. This essentially allows for affordable housing development to take

place where normal market housing would not normally be approved. The

Council’s policy CS19, is listed in full below.

“Proposals for permanent affordable housing to meet an identified local need

(including a small element of market housing where this will facilitate the successful

delivery of the affordable housing) will be permitted as an exception on sites where

market housing would not normally be acceptable.

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