Getting error when retrieving Spatial Data from my database

Question

I have spent 2 days chasing this one round and round, and I have tried several solutions (detailed below).

Problem. When retrieving Geographical data from a Microsft SQL Database I get an error DBServer routine OpenDataSet has failed with error DataReader.GetFieldType(3) returned null.

From what I have read, this is typically because the project cannot load or access Microsoft.SqlServer.Types, so it can't interpret the returned data effectively

What I have tried;

1. Removing and readding the reference.
2. Setting the assembly to copy Local
3. Removing and reinstalling via Nuget (v14.0)
4. Referencing said assembly in the web.config
5. Adding a utility class in Global.asax, then calling that on Application_Start to load in the other dependent files LoadNativeAssembly(nativeBinaryPath, "msvcr120.dll") LoadNativeAssembly(nativeBinaryPath, "SqlServerSpatial140.dll")

The error happens whether I am running locally (not such a key issue) or on an Azure vps (SqlServer Web Edition).

The stored procedure I am calling to return the data works fine. (In fact, this code is a lift and shift project. the old vps works fine if we fire it up, so it is most likely a configuration issue and all the above I have done is wasted effort. But the original developer is not contactable, nor are there any notes on how this was made to work.)