®Planning appeal decision
Land South of Headley Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8QE
an Integrated Retirement Community (IRC) comprising up to 125 Extra Care Apartments (Use Class C2), up to 54 new homes (Use Class C3) (50% affordable homes) and the formation of a new vehicular access off Headley Road, with associated landscaping, parking, open space, green and blue infrastructure, and all other associated development works
- Authority
- Mole Valley District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Other Major Developments
- Inspector
- Woodwards O
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- whether or not the appeal site is an appropriate location for development of this type
- whether or not an acceptable level of affordable housing is proposed
- the extent of harm to the GB by reason of inappropriateness and any harm caused to the essential characteristics of GB and to the purposes of including land within the GB
What decided it
The significant and permanent harm to the Green Belt (loss of openness and conflict with Green Belt purposes) was not clearly outweighed by the other considerations, so very special circumstances were not demonstrated.
The substantial weight given to Green Belt harm and significant weight given to character and appearance harm outweighed the substantial and significant benefits of market and affordable housing, the IRC, biodiversity net gain and economic benefits, so very special circumstances did not exist and the appeal was dismissed.
Framework references: 48, 61, 65, 74, 137, 138, 147, 148, 149, 174
Plan policies cited: Policy CS1, Policy CS2, Policy CS3, Policy CS4, Policy CS13, Policy CS14, Policy ENV4, Policy ENV17, Policy ENV22, Policy ENV23, Policy ENV24, Policy ENV25, ePolicy S1, ePolicy EN1, ePolicy H1, ePolicy H3, ePolicy H6
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.