®Planning appeal decision
Land west of Harbolets Road, West Chiltington, West Sussex, RH20 2LG
Without planning permission, the material change of use of the land from agriculture to a mixed use of agriculture and for the stationing of a caravan for the purposes of human habitation together with associated operational development comprising the installation of a septic tank in the approximate position shown on the attached plan
- Authority
- Horsham District Council
- Appeal type
- enforcement · Enforcement Notice
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- caravan-gypsy · Change of use
- Inspector
- Pleasant L
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the development would be in a suitable location having regard to local planning policy
- the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the development on the integrity of the Arun Valley SAC, SPA and Ramsar, with particular reference to water neutrality
What decided it
The development would likely have a significant adverse effect on the integrity of the Arun Valley SAC/SPA through failure to demonstrate water neutrality, which provides a clear reason for refusal under NPPF footnote 7 and displaces the presumption in favour of development.
The adverse impacts identified—harm to protected habitats, breach of settlement strategy, and significant harm to character and appearance—substantially and demonstrably outweigh the limited economic and social benefits of a single dwelling, when assessed against the NPPF taken as a whole.
Framework references: 11, 135, 187
Plan policies cited: Policy 2 HDPF, Policy 3 HDPF, Policy 4 HDPF, Policy 20 HDPF, Policy 25 HDPF, Policy 26 HDPF, Policy 31 HDPF
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.