Land South and East of The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Stag Hill, The Chase, Guildford, GU2 7TN

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal to the special interest and significance of heritage assets, with reference to design and landscape context

What decided it

The Inspector found that the harm to the setting and significance of Guildford Cathedral was not outweighed by the proposal's benefits, particularly given the absence of justification (including viability evidence) for why a less harmful scheme could not achieve similar benefits.

The less than substantial harm to the significance and setting of the Cathedral, combined with adverse landscape and visual effects, was not outweighed by the public benefits (including affordable housing delivery and the Cathedral endowment), given the lack of justification for the scale of harm and absence of evidence that a less harmful scheme could not achieve similar benefits.