®Planning appeal decision
The Grasshopper Inn, Westerham Road, Westerham, Surrey, TN16 2EU
Demolition of the existing building and erection of a new 63 bedroom care home
- Authority
- Tandridge District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- community-institutional · Major retail and services
- Inspector
- Pattison B
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including the Surrey Hills National Landscape
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the local area as a result of the demolition of a non-designated heritage asset and bearing in mind the special attention that should be paid to the desirability of preserving the setting of the nearby Grade II listed buildings
What decided it
The conflict with Framework protections for National Landscapes and heritage assets, combined with the unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the area and the total loss of a non-designated heritage asset, outweighed the substantial benefits of providing much-needed care home accommodation.
the substantial benefits of providing 63 care home beds addressing critical local need and supporting housing supply were outweighed by the significant harm to the National Landscape, the character and appearance of the area, and the loss of a non-designated heritage asset with moderate local significance, together with less than substantial harm to the setting of nearby Grade II listed buildings
Framework references: 11, 16, 73, 124, 189, 216, 232
Plan policies cited: Policy CSP18, Policy CSP20, Policy CSP21, Policy DP7, Policy DP20, Policy TNP04A
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.