The Borough Council is of the view that the development would result in unwarranted harm to the character and appearance of the adjacent landscape, which falls within the Charnwood Forest area of particularly attractive countryside, as designated in the adopted Borough of Charnwood Local Plan. Although not within the designation itself, the site forms an integral part of the open, sloping landform rising towards the high ground to the south of the town, and where the present development on the edge of the settlement is low key and fragmented in longer views from public viewpoints. Notwithstanding the mitigation proposed in the developers Design and Access Statement, and the additional illustrative material, the proposal would have a damaging impact on the intrinsic beauty of the countryside in that it would introduce an uncharacteristicly intensive form of new housing which would be alien to the low key, subdued character of the edge of the settlement when viewed from the southern entry to the town. It would severely curtail the open rural aspect from nearby residential properties, and views of the countryside from the end of Brick Kiln Lane and from the public footpath L11 through the site. From these locations the open character of the landscape is very evident looking over the Charnwod Forest landscape to the south, and to the north, where the site borders the local landmark called Scouthouse Hill and the northern boundary of the site forms a locally prominent open horizon where landscape features and trees also exhibit characteristics of Charnwood Forest. As such the proposed development would conflict with the provisions of saved policies ST/1, CT/1, CT/7, H/16 and EV/1 of the adopted Borough of Charnwood Local Plan, which are reflected by the guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework, principally, but not exclusively, set out in paras. 7, 14 and 17 of the Framework document. The Borough Council is of the view that the adverse impact on the character o

The application site is located in the countryside and adjacent to an area of particularly attractive countryside and the principle of the development of this site for housing is contrary to saved Local Plan policies, which are designed to protect the open countryside. The Council acknowledges its position regarding the supply of land for housing, but it is of the opinion that this site is too remote from public services and other facitilities in Shepshed, and modes of transport other than the private car, and is severed from them by the busy A512, to be judged as a sustainable location for new housing development. For these reasons, this countryside site is not suitable to be released for housing, as it would be an environmentally unsustainable development offering too limited opportunity for realistic use of non-car modes of transport. Accordingly, it is considered that insufficient exceptional circumstances, to justify over-riding the application of normal planning policies for the countryside, have been demonstrated. The proposed development would conflict with the provisions of saved policies ST/1, CT/1, CT/7 and EV/1 of the adopted Borough of Charnwood Local Plan which are reflected by the guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework, principally, but not exclusively, set out in paras. 7, 9, 14, 32, 34, 38 and 70 of the Framework document. The adverse environmental impact and the unsustainabiltiy of the location of the development would outweigh the benefit afforded by the relatively modest contributuion to the supply of housing land that the development would represent.