Planning appeal decision
The Blacksmiths Building, The Forge, Cuckfield Road, Staplefield, RH17 6ET
Planning appeal 3352370 at The Blacksmiths Building, The Forge, Cuckfield Road, Staplefield, RH17 6ET (Mid Sussex District Council) was allowed on 4 April 2025 by Inspector Heppell J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the appeal site would be a suitable location for the proposed development having regard to local and national policy.
the use of the building as a C3 dwelling house
- Authority
- Mid Sussex District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Heppell J
- Postcode
- RH17 6ET
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the appeal site would be a suitable location for the proposed development having regard to local and national policy
- the impact of the proposed development on the living conditions of future occupiers with particular reference to outlook and privacy
What decided it
The proposal accords with the development plan taken as a whole, particularly the countryside development policies which permit the re-use of rural buildings for residential use, and the site is not in an unsustainable location.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DP6Policy DP12Policy DP15Policy DP21Policy DP26Policy AS1
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
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


More decisions in Mid Sussex
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
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- Dismissed22 October 2026601278111 Barnfield, Balcombe, RH17 6FW
- Dismissed9 October 20266010262Development Site At Former Tower Car Sales, Tower Close, East Grinstead, RH19 3BY
- Dismissed9 October 20266005209Lullings Cottage, West Hill, Ardingly, RH17 6QY
- Dismissed9 October 20266005206Lullings Cottage, West Hill, Ardingly, RH17 6QY
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.
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