- Decision
- dismissed, 17 August 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: S Harrington
- Authority
- Cornwall (South West)
- Appeal reference
- 6007179
- Application reference
- PA22/00580
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Detached dwelling with sewage treatment plant in a dispersed roadside group outside Bodmin
- Homes
- 1
- Site context
- open countryside, settlement edge
- Green Belt
- No
- Housing land supply
- 3.9 years
- Framework applied
- December 2024 NPPF (transitional)
- Determinative policies
- S3, TR3
- Development plan policies
- Cornwall Local Plan 2010-2030 Policies 1, 2, 3, 7, 21, 27, Cornwall Climate Emergency DPD 2023 C1, T1
- Main issues
- location / spatial strategy; access to services
Summary
One dwelling in a dispersed roadside group near Bodmin was dismissed. The group was not a settlement for "rounding off" purposes, and walking to bus stops meant using a busy road with no pavement. The letter is dated 17 Aug 2026, the day the new Framework took effect, but applies the 2024 ¶11(d)(ii) tilted balance with a 3.9-year supply and does not mention the new Framework.
Issues and findings
- Settlement: fail. "the character of the grouping of buildings is more akin to a low-density straggle of development" (DL ¶4), so the site is "within the countryside for planning purposes" (DL ¶7).
- Access to services: significant harm. "walking and cycling from the site to bus stops … particularly in the dark, inclement weather or in colder months, would be unattractive … future occupiers … would be heavily reliant on private vehicles" (DL ¶11).
- Balance (2024 wording). "the proposal needs to be considered against Paragraph 11 d)ii" (DL ¶16). "the adverse impacts would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits" (DL ¶21).
Planning balance
2024 tilted balance. Conflict with the spatial strategy got modest weight because the strategy is not delivering enough housing (DL ¶17). Car dependence got significant weight. One dwelling was a modest benefit.
What made the difference
The unsafe walking route to the bus stops (no pavement, a bend, fast traffic). The same facts would probably fail S5 and TR3 under the 2026 Framework.
Transferable points
- A letter dated 17 Aug 2026 still applied 2024 ¶11(d)(ii). This is an example of transitional slippage (DL ¶¶16, 21).
- Nearby bus stops and a leisure trail do not help when the only route to them is an unlit road with no pavement (DL ¶¶9–11).
- A dispersed roadside group next to a town is not a "settlement" for rounding off (DL ¶¶4–5).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| S5(1) | fail | letter applies Local Plan Policy 3 rounding-off test; Dunmere a "low-density straggle", not a settlement; no Policy 7 special circumstances (DL 3-7). S5 not cited | |
| TR3 | fail | significant | bus stops and Camel Trail reachable only along busy road with no pavement, unlit trail; heavily reliant on private vehicles (DL 8-11, 18) |
| S3 | fail | 2024 ¶11(d)(ii) tilted balance applied; "significantly and demonstrably outweigh" (DL 16, 21) | |
| HO7 | benefit | limited | one dwelling, modest benefit (DL 19) |
Key facts
- 3.9-year supply
- Storage building permission a fallback of little weight (different use)
- Earlier appeal APP/D0840/W/20/3247124 did not decide whether Dunmere is a settlement
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.