Land adjacent to 1 Catena Rise, Lightwater, Surrey

Proposed new 2 bedroom dwelling with associated parking

Authority: Surrey Heath Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Szymanski D

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposed development upon the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (the SPA)
the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The absence of a secured planning obligation to mitigate the significant adverse effects on the integrity of the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, combined with the harmful blank elevations conflicting with design policies, meant the development could not proceed despite the Council's shortfall in housing land supply.

the harm to the integrity of the SPA and harm to character and appearance, which attract significant weight against the scheme, significantly and demonstrably outweigh the limited economic and social benefits of the development

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: Policy CP14B, Policy CP2, Policy DM9

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.