Planning appeal decision
Royal Cambridge Home, 82-84 Hurst Road, East Molesey, KT8 9AH
Planning appeal 3257109 at Royal Cambridge Home, 82-84 Hurst Road, East Molesey, KT8 9AH (Elmbridge Borough Council) was allowed on 18 October 2021 by Inspector Jackson R, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect on the heritage assets, being the existing buildings on site, the Conservation Area and its setting, the setting of St Paul's Church, and the setting of the gate piers on Graburn Way.
detached building varying in height from four-storey to one-storey to provide a 32 bed Care Home (C2) and 60 Extra Care Age Restricted Apartments (C3), new vehicle access, provision of 30 on-site car parking spaces, buggy and cycle stores with associated landscaping and ancillary works following demolition of the existing buildings
- Authority
- Elmbridge Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Jackson R
- Postcode
- KT8 9AH
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect on the heritage assets, being the existing buildings on site, the Conservation Area and its setting, the setting of St Paul's Church, and the setting of the gate piers on Graburn Way
- whether there are any other benefits of the proposal, including the housing land supply position, that would lead to a determination otherwise than in accordance with the terms of the development plan
What decided it
The substantial public benefits of providing modern specialist accommodation for older people with above-policy affordable housing, combined with the Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, outweighed the substantial harm to the non-designated heritage assets and less than substantial harm to the Conservation Area and listed building setting.
The substantial harm to the non-designated heritage assets was outweighed by the public benefits of modern care accommodation and extra-care housing with 50% affordable housing; the remaining benefits also outweighed the less than substantial harm to the Conservation Area and listed building setting; the tilted balance under paragraph 11(d) of the NPPF applied due to the lack of five-year housing land supply, and the heritage harm did not constitute a clear reason for refusal.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy CS7Policy CS17Policy CS20Policy CS21Policy DM2Policy DM12
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 124Paragraph 199Paragraph 200Paragraph 202Paragraph 203
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.
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