1 The Stables, Rookery Drive, Westcott, DORKING, RH4 3LQ

erection of detached garage

Authority: Mole Valley District Council
Appeal type: householder · Householder (HAS)
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Householder developments
Inspector: Bromley N

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and any relevant development plan policies
the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt
whether the proposal would conserve and enhance the landscape and scenic beauty of the Surrey Hills National Landscape
if the appeal scheme is found to be inappropriate development, 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 scheme

What decided it

The proposal's location on undeveloped land at considerable distance from the main dwelling, combined with its standalone appearance and harm to Green Belt openness and the Surrey Hills National Landscape, could not be justified by very special circumstances.

Framework references: 154, 153, 11

Plan policies cited: Policy EN1, Policy EN8

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.

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