Plans for a long-stay car park serving Bristol Airport on the edge of the Mendip Hills in Somerset have been dismissed on appeal, dealing a blow to the applicant and reinforcing the council's original refusal. The Planning Inspectorate has upheld Somerset Council's decision to reject the development, which would have provided 19 parking spaces, including electric vehicle charging points, at Beech Tree Farm on Badgworth Lane in Badgworth.
The application, submitted by Jane Vosper in December 2025, sought to transform hardstanding land at the entrance to the Badgworth Arena, just outside Axbridge and approximately 25 minutes' drive from the airport. Somerset Council refused the proposal in late March 2026, arguing it would generate "significant and harmful levels of noise" that would severely impact local residents' quality of life. Inspector Juliet Rogers, who visited the site in June, has now upheld that decision, concluding that residents would likely experience "disturbance to an unacceptable level."
Proposal Details and Operational Plans
The car park would have comprised 15 standard long-stay bays and four electric vehicle charging points. Ms Vosper indicated that the prospective operator would run a shuttle service between the site and the airport, with the charging points partly used to power these shuttle vehicles, thereby reducing carbon emissions. The development was intended to support the financial viability of the Badgworth Arena, an equestrian centre that hosts around two events per week, with approximately 40 lorries or horse boxes attending each occasion.
A spokesperson for the family said: "Our clients would not be looking to expand the facility any larger than the proposed 15 spaces, as their calculations suggest that if they maintained a 50 per cent occupancy level for cars across the year, the income generated would be sufficient to support the ongoing viability of Badgworth Arena."
Noise and Disturbance Concerns
Inspector Rogers's ruling drew on current flight schedules from Bristol Airport to assess potential noise impacts. She noted that flights commence at 6am, with the last arrivals just before 1am. This would require passengers to arrive at the site from 2am onward to allow for a 30-minute journey to the airport, and up to three hours before departure for international flights. Returning passengers arriving at 1am would unlikely return to their vehicles before 2am, meaning noise from comings and goings could occur at any time during a 24-hour period.
She stated: "The evidence before me indicates that flights to and from Bristol Airport commence at 6am, with the last arrivals just before 1am. This would result in passengers needing to arrive at the site any time from 2am to allow for a 30-minute journey time to the airport for arrival, up to three hours ahead of departure (in the case of international, non-European flights)."
"Passengers returning and arriving at the airport at around 1am would be unlikely to return to their vehicle before 2am depending upon the efficiency in the airport arrival procedures. Therefore, the proposal could result in noise associated with comings and goings at any time during a 24-hour period."
She added: "At night, as the noise from the proposed use would be accentuated by the absence of other background noise, existing occupiers would be likely to experience disturbance to an unacceptable level."
Summer Impacts and Enforcement Issues
Ms Rogers highlighted that the impact "would be heightened" during summer months, when demand for the facility would peak and many residents would have windows open. She warned that such disturbance "can have a significant effect on quality of life, particularly sleep, and can lead to chronic health effects."
The appellant had suggested that bookings would be "cherry-picked and coordinated to avoid early-morning and late-evening flights (as well as same sex groups of passengers)," but Ms Rogers noted it was unclear how this would be achieved or managed. She observed: "In addition, as acknowledged by the appellant, this could not be enforced and there would be nothing to prevent a future owner accepting such bookings."
Ruling and Implications
The inspector also considered the existing use of Badgworth Arena, which hosts equestrian events, but argued this usage "does not justify the increase in night-time activity." She asserted that light spill from headlights of turning vehicles would "significantly affect the perception of tranquillity in the area." Concluding, she said: "The proposal would harm the living conditions of existing occupiers of nearby properties, and would result in unacceptable noise and disturbance impacts."
The decision was published before the council's planning committee north, which handles major applications within the former Sedgemoor area, convened in Bridgwater on Tuesday afternoon (August 11). The refusal marks a definitive end to this proposal, though the site could be subject to future applications if alternative plans are developed.
