Land south of Old Rocky Lane, Haywards Heath

to erect 9 apartments within a single, three-storey building, along with access, parking and landscaping

Authority: Mid Sussex District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Jolly J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The proposal would appear overly prominent in its specific elevated location next to the A272 and would harm the character and appearance of the area through loss of landscaping and obstruction of views to the South Downs, which modest housing and economic benefits could not outweigh.

The modest economic, social and environmental benefits of delivering 9 dwellings on a small site were insufficient to outweigh the harm to character and appearance

Framework references: 130, 68, 122

Plan policies cited: Policy DP26, Policy DP37, Policy E9, Policy H8

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.

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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.
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.
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