®Planning appeal decision
Home Farm House , Coldharbour Lane, Dorking, RH4 3JG
- Authority
- Mole Valley District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Rose C
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
- the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of including land within the Green Belt
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, having regard to the site's location within the Surrey Hills National Landscape
- whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the development
What decided it
The proposal would fail to preserve the openness of the Green Belt and would harm its purposes through the introduction of domestic curtilages and a more urban appearance, constituting inappropriate development that is not clearly outweighed by other considerations.
The substantial harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and loss of openness, together with harm to the character and appearance of the National Landscape, was not clearly outweighed by the limited benefits of housing supply, energy efficiency, biodiversity improvements, and economic benefits.
Framework references: 11, 84, 88, 142, 143, 152, 153, 154, 155, 182
Plan policies cited: Policy EN1, Policy EN4, Policy EN8, Policy EN9
Judgments cited: Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823 (Admin)
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.