Submitting... Gareth Owens, chair of Kirby Hill RAMS, says: “We feel the thing that has changed here is the planning system, not the facts. After 25 years of playing the game and having it refused, you have to ask the question; what has changed?” An aerial picture of the intended site (shown in black outline) with Kirby Hill to the right. The objections of local residents have not altered over the past 25 years since the first application was submitted back in 1996 – they believe that having a development close to the size of their own village nearby will harm the rural area in which they live. That those concerns have foundation was accepted in part by Mr Rose’s decision, which “acknowledged that the proposed development would cause some harm to the character, appearance, and visual amenity of the area”.