Hunters Lodge, Roe Park, Horsley Road, Downside, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 3NY

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether or not the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
• the effect of the proposal on the openness and the purposes of the Green Belt
• if the proposal is inappropriate development, whether the 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 proposal

What decided it

The proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt with no very special circumstances to justify it, as the identified benefits did not clearly outweigh the substantial harm to openness and the existence of a less harmful fallback alternative.

The substantial harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and harm to openness, given substantial weight, was not clearly outweighed by the cumulative benefits of housing delivery, affordable housing contribution, biodiversity net gain and sustainable design, particularly given the availability of a less harmful fallback position.