Church Lane Nursery , Headley , Surrey , KT18 6ND

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposal is in an appropriate location for new housing development having regard to the policies of the development plan
• whether the proposal contains a sufficient amount of affordable housing so as to comply with the rural exceptions sites' policies having regard to viability
• whether the proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and the policies of the development plan. The consideration of this issue includes any effect the proposal might have on the openness of the Green Belt and whether, should the development be found to be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, any very special circumstances justify the proposal

What decided it

The appellant failed to demonstrate that 6 market houses were essential to make the affordable housing viable, meaning the proposal did not qualify for the Green Belt exception and constituted inappropriate development, and the resulting substantial harm was not clearly outweighed by other considerations.

the substantial weight given to the contribution to affordable and market housing supply did not clearly outweigh the substantial harm from inappropriate development in the Green Belt and harm to its openness, so very special circumstances did not exist