®Planning appeal decision
Ricketts Wood Farm, Norwood Hill, Horley, RH6 0ET
Planning appeal 3335911 at Ricketts Wood Farm, Norwood Hill, Horley, RH6 0ET (Mole Valley District Council) was allowed on 9 April 2025 by Inspector Bowden N, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant development plan policies, including the effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt.
the change of use of redundant cattle yards to Class B8 storage, conversion of former milking parlour and isolation boxes to ancillary staff welfare facilities, parking and ancillary works
- Authority
- Mole Valley District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- employment-industrial · Change of use
- Inspector
- Bowden N
- Postcode
- RH6 0ET
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 relevant development plan policies, including the effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area with particular regard to any intensification of use of the site
- The effect of the proposed development on highway safety
- Whether the proposed development is in a sustainable location
- Whether the proposed development would have an adverse effect on the living conditions of neighbours with particular regard to noise and disturbance from vehicle types and movements
- Whether any 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 the proposal
What decided it
The lawful fallback positions of agricultural use and airport parking use, which would have comparable or greater visual impacts on the Green Belt and character of the area, provided very special circumstances that clearly outweighed the identified harms.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- EN1EN4INF1EC4
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 89Paragraph 110Paragraph 116Paragraph 143Paragraph 153Paragraph 154Paragraph 155
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.