You may remember that Turnstone Estates Ltd lodged a planning application for “Erection of 120 Bed Hotel and Restaurant together with Associated Parking and Infrastructure” on the field opposite Tesco which they describe as the “teardrop site”.

The application was lodged with both the City Council and SCDC as part of the site falls in both district councils’ areas of responsibility.

The application has now been rejected by both local authorities, mainly on the grounds that the land is Green Belt and the applicants have not demonstrated any special circumstances that would justify a deviation from the policy of very restricted development in the Green Belt.

This isn’t the end of the matter of course because the applicants can, and probably will given the amount of money they’ve spent, now appeal to the Secretary of State.