Plots E and F, Land South of Plough Road, Smallfield Horley, Surrey, RH6 9SD

i) Without planning permission, the making of material change of use of the Land comprising of residential, and intensification of a caravan site for residential purposes by virtue of the stationing of caravans and static mobile homes; ii) Without planning permission operational development consisting of the regrading of land and the subsequent laying of hard surfacing materials which constitutes an engineering operation, the construction of an access with associated hardsurfacing, the installation of septic tank and drainage to the mobile homes brought onto the site and erection of boundary fencing and internal fencing to facilitate the unauthorised use of the land

Authority: Tandridge District Council
Appeal type: enforcement · Enforcement Notice
Procedure: Hearing
Development: caravan-gypsy · Change of use
Inspector: Hand S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The main issues in all four appeals are whether the sites lie within an area of green belt that would qualify as 'grey belt'.
The impact on the setting of the nearby listed building.
Whether the Council can provide a 5 year supply of gypsy sites.
Is the site sustainably located.
The impact of the development on the countryside and residential amenity?
The impact on ecology and whether the accesses can be made acceptable in highway safety terms.

What decided it

the personal circumstances of the appellant families, particularly the best interests of their children, outweighed the identified harm to the character and appearance of the countryside.

the significant harm to the character and appearance of the countryside was outweighed by the personal circumstances of the appellants and the best interests of their children, tipping the balance in favour of granting a personal planning permission

Framework references: 143, 155

Plan policies cited: Policy CSP18, Policy CSP9

Judgments cited: Barnwell judgement

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.