Ridgeway Hollow Lane, Dormansland, LINGFIELD, Surrey, RH7 6NR

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to any relevant development plan policies and the Framework, and its effect on Green Belt openness
• The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to the High Weald National Landscape
• The effect of the proposed development on the living conditions of the occupiers of Number 54 Beacon Hill, with particular regard to outlook and access to light
• Whether the proposed development would preserve the setting of Greathed Manor, a Grade II listed Registered Park and Garden
• If the proposal is inappropriate development, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify it

What decided it

The fallback development—an approved replacement dwelling at an advanced stage of construction with a substantially identical main core—carried very substantial weight sufficient to outweigh the harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and openness, thereby establishing the very special circumstances necessary to justify the appeal proposal.