5 Smitham Downs Road, PURLEY, CR8 4NH

demolition of existing dwelling and the erection of a part 3.5 part 4.5 storey building to accommodate 20 flats, relocation of existing vehicular accesses on Smitham Downs Road and The Vale, associated vehicle and cycle parking, refuse and recycling facilities, new boundary treatments and hard and soft landscaping

Authority: London Borough of Croydon
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Miles H

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect on the character and appearance of the area
the effect on neighbouring living conditions with particular regard to light to 7 Smitham Downs Road
the quality of living conditions for future occupiers with particular regard to outdoor space

What decided it

The notable harm to the character and appearance of the area and unacceptable loss of light to neighbouring occupiers outweighed the moderate benefits of new housing delivery.

Plan policies cited: Policy D3, Policy H2, Policy DM10, Policy SP4.1, Policy SP4.2, Policy D4, Policy SP2.8, Policy DM10.6, Policy D6

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.