SLP KDBH Extracts - Flipbook - Page 132
4.
ii.
Limited infilling in villages shall be interpreted as the filling of a small gap
within an otherwise built up frontage with not more than two dwellings.
iii.
Disproportionate additions shall be interpreted as additions that are more than
40% of the original floorspace of the building.
iv.
Where the re-use of buildings or land is proposed, the new use, and any
associated use of land surrounding the building, should not conflict with, nor
have a materially greater impact on, the openness of the Green Belt and the
purposes of including land in it, and the form, bulk and general design of the
buildings shall be in keeping with their surroundings.
In considering proposals for inappropriate development in the Green Belt, the
following factors may be taken into account as very special circumstances:
i.
The reasonable expansion of established businesses into the Green Belt will
be allowed where the proposal would make a significant contribution to the
local economy or employment, providing that appropriate mitigation can be
secured.
ii.
Waste management operations provided the development accords with the
waste management policy of the plan.
iii.
The delivery of rural exception sites for housing are to be brought forward in
accordance with policy P4B of this plan
iv.
The construction of renewable energy provision is to be brought forward in
accordance with Policy P9 of this plan and Para 147 of the NPPF.
5.
Development within or conspicuous from the Green Belt must not harm the visual
amenity of the Green Belt by reason of siting, materials or design.
6.
The small settlements of Hampton-in-Arden, Hockley Heath, Meriden and Catherine
de Barnes are inset in the Green Belt and are not therefore subject to Green Belt
policy. Nevertheless, the Council, in considering applications for development in
these settlements, will take into account the importance of their rural setting and of
their attributes, such as historic buildings, open space, density of development,
landscape and townscape that contribute towards their special character.
Immediately beyond the inset boundary, strict Green Belt policies will apply.
Justification
415.
132
Most of the countryside within the Borough is in use for agriculture, and farmers are largely
responsible for managing the land. Farmland is generally of good to moderate quality
capable of supporting a healthy mixed farming economy. About one fifth of the farmland falls
within the ‘best and most versatile’ agricultural land category, which Solihull’s Countryside
Strategy 2010-2020 indicates should be protected, as an irreplaceable resource and for its
contribution to the rural character of the Borough. The Solihull Landscape Character
Assessment highlights the character and local distinctiveness of the landscape and its
sensitivity to development, and is a key tool in helping to manage change.