... according to an article in Planning Resource:
A planning approval for the extension of a quarry in the North Yorkshire green belt has been overturned at the Court of Appeal, after a judge ruled that planners had misinterpreted green belt policy with regards to the scheme's visual impact.
At the Appeal Court, Lord Justice Lindblom, said a senior council officer had "misunderstood" national planning policies on the preservation of the green belt and given "defective" advice to the council's planning committee.
Lord Justice Lindblom said he had been left with the "troubling impression" that national policy had been misunderstood and misapplied.
The officer had erred in concluding that, because the development would not involve construction of new buildings, the openness of the green belt would not be harmed.
The visual impact of the scheme was as important as its "spatial" effects and the officer had failed to consider what the impact of the proposals would be "in the eyes of the viewer".
The quarry extension would result in a "permanent change to the character of the landscape" and "long distance views would be cut off" by earth bunds put in place and trees planted to screen the site.
