Land North of Croydon Barn Lane, South Godstone, Surrey, RH6 6JY

change of use of land to private equestrian purposes, along with the erection of a building to accommodate three stables, a hay barn and tack room together with a manège

Authority: Tandridge District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector: Phillips B

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposed development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt for the purposes of the National Planning Policy Framework and development plan policy, including the effect of the proposal on the openness and purpose of the Green Belt
If the development would be inappropriate, whether the harm to the Green Belt by way of inappropriateness and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify it

What decided it

The scale of the building and development and its siting in an undeveloped and isolated position would not preserve the openness of the Green Belt and would conflict with the Green Belt purpose of safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, and the other considerations identified do not clearly outweigh this harm.

Framework references: 11, 147, 149, 150, 174

Plan policies cited: Policy DP10, Policy DP13, Policy DP17, Policy DP19, Policy CSP17, Policy CSP21

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.

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