Woodlands, Weatherhill Common, Smallfield, Horley, Surrey, RH6 9JF

Authority: Tandridge District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: caravan-gypsy · Minor traveller and caravan pitches
Inspector: Raygen Z

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
the effect of the development on the purposes of including land within the Green Belt
the effect of the development on ecology
would the harm by reason of inappropriateness and any other harm, be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The cumulative weight of unmet Gypsy and Traveller need, lack of alternative sites, persistent Council policy failure, and the family's personal circumstances clearly outweighed the identified Green Belt harm, establishing very special circumstances.

Plan policies cited: Policy CSP17, Policy DP19, Policy DP10

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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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.
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