Wicklands Stud, Ockley Road, Forest Green, RH5 5SQ

new garage with home office and private gym over

Authority: Mole Valley District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Other minor developments
Inspector: Pipkin R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, including an Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV) and the setting of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
whether or not it has been demonstrated that there is a need for the proposed development

What decided it

The proposed development would accord with development plan policies on rural character and appearance, would not harm the AONB setting, and would support sustainable business growth in rural areas whilst replacing an already-permitted building without net increase in site buildings.

The benefits of supporting sustainable business growth and expansion in rural areas, combined with the absence of harm to character, appearance and the AONB setting, outweighed any concerns about the need for the development.

Framework references: 56

Plan policies cited: Policy RUD9, Policy ENV3, Policy CS13

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.