Garages 1-7 Somerset Close, Epsom, KT19 9JJ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the development proposed on highway safety with regard to parking
• whether the proposed development would provide an acceptable standard of living accommodation for future occupiers, with particular regard to access to outdoor space

What decided it

The failure to robustly demonstrate that the additional parking demand created by the development would not cause significant harm to highway safety through increased pressure on unrestricted on-street parking in the area, particularly given the proximity to Ewell West railway station and existing evidence of vehicles parked on footpaths.

the substantial and long-lasting harm to highway safety and parking availability outweighed the moderate benefits of housing delivery, sustainable location, drainage improvements and biodiversity gains, such that the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits under paragraph 11 of the Framework