A PLANNING inspector has upheld Thurrock Council's refusal of a nine-home development on green belt in Bulphan.

An application to build the detached homes on land at Portland Lodge, Brentwood Road has been dismissed on appeal as "inappropriate development in the green belt".

Planning inspector Thomas Courtney visited the site in November last year.

The site consists of a two-storey detached dwelling known as Portland Lodge, which is set back from the road, and a large industrial estate together with equestrian land and storage facilities.

There is a mix of office buildings, warehouse units, garages, and shipping containers dotted around the site.

A row of former stable buildings that lie alongside the access drive to Portland Lodge have been converted into a self-contained residential unit. Several shipping containers have also been converted to dwellings.

The inspector assessed whether it would be inappropriate development in the green belt, the effect of the proposal on flood risk, the effect of the proposal on highway safety and the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area.

The Inspector noted that the site is in a critical drainage area, but that no drainage strategy appeared to have been submitted so he "could not be satisfied about the impact on flood risk".

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The Inspector found the development would exceed the impact of homes given planning approval in 2015.

He said: "The proposal would visibly spread development across a greater proportion of the site, towards the eastern and south-eastern boundaries adjacent to open countryside. The impact of the proposal would be much greater than the outline developments approved in 2015."

Dismissing the appeal, Mr Courtenay said: "The proposal would cause harm to the green belt by way of inappropriateness, as well as substantial harm to openness.

"The other considerations advanced in this case do not clearly outweigh the substantial harm that I have identified. Consequently, the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development do not exist."