Land opposite Gable Cottage, Chequers Lane, Walton on the Hill, Surrey, KT20 7QF

the change of use from equestrian land to a caravan site, to provide 3 residential pitches to be occupied by Gypsy/Travellers

Authority: Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Inquiry
Development: caravan-gypsy · Major traveller and caravan pitches
Inspector: Johnson W

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the appeal site and surrounding area
the effect of the proposal on protected trees
whether the proposal forms inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and other relevant development plan policies

What decided it

The harm to the character and appearance of the AGLV (heightened by the ongoing Surrey Hills National Landscape boundary review) together with the harm to protected tree T36 was found to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal.

The harm to character/appearance of the AGLV and to protected tree T36 significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits of meeting unmet Gypsy/Traveller need and the personal circumstances of the occupiers, both for a permanent and a temporary permission.

Framework references: 11, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157

Plan policies cited: Policy CS2, Policy CS3, Policy CS16, Policy NHE1, Policy NHE3, Policy NHE5, Policy DES1, Policy GTT1

Judgments cited: Lisa Smith judgment in 2022

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.