®Planning appeal decision
Keepers Cottages, West Chiltington Lane, Coneyhurst, West Sussex, RH14 9DL
Planning appeal 3303126 at Keepers Cottages, West Chiltington Lane, Coneyhurst, West Sussex, RH14 9DL (Horsham District Council) was dismissed on 30 August 2023 by Inspector Harley S, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the new dwelling site is an appropriate location for a dwelling taking into account local and national spatial planning policy.
demolition of existing Keepers Cottages, and erection of one residential dwelling, access, landscaping and associated infrastructure
- Authority
- Horsham District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Harley S
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the new dwelling site is an appropriate location for a dwelling taking into account local and national spatial planning policy
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area taking into account the proposed new dwelling and the demolition of the Cottages
- The effect on the integrity of the Arun Valley Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, and Ramsar Site
What decided it
The Inspector could not confidently conclude that water neutrality had been demonstrated and therefore could not exclude adverse effects on the integrity of the Arun Valley Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site, which prevented the grant of permission under Habitat Regulations Assessment Regulation 63.
The spatial policy conflicts, harm to character and appearance, and inability to rule out adverse effects on protected habitats attracted very great weight and outweighed the limited benefits of housing delivery and economic benefits, which were further diminished by the net loss of one dwelling compared to the fallback position.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy 2 HDPFPolicy 3 HDPFPolicy 4 HDPFPolicy 25 HDPFPolicy 26 HDPFPolicy 28 HDPFPolicy 31 HDPFPolicy 32 HDPFPolicy 33 HDPFPolicy Ship HD1 Shipley Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2020
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
- Judgments
- Mansell v Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council [2017] EWCA Civ 1314
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Horsham District Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2023
- Allowed29 October 20266008830Staalcot Farm Stall House Lane, Stall House Lane, North Heath, RH20 2HR
- Dismissed19 October 20266007051Bentley House, North Heath Lane Industrial Estate, North Heath Lane, Horsham, RH12 5QE
- Dismissed15 October 20266012640The Fords, Bonfire Hill, Southwater, RH13 9BU
- Dismissed13 October 20266008205Barnards Nursery, Rock Road, Washington, RH20 3BH
- Allowed12 October 20266011680Land at High Chaparral, London Road, Washington, RH20 3BP
The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.