Town Planner Pro
Free trial
Search appeal decisions

Planning appeal decision

Allowed17 April 20263371917

Lingfield House, East Grinstead Road, Lingfield, RH7 6ES

Planning appeal 3371917 at Lingfield House, East Grinstead Road, Lingfield, RH7 6ES (Tandridge District Council) was allowed on 17 April 2026 by Inspector Catchpole R, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the GB and the effect of the proposal on its openness and purposes.

The conversion of Lingfield House and development of the site to provide an integrated retirement community (Use Class C2) comprising up to 107 independent living apartments and cottages together with associated communal facilities and amenity space provision, a new medical centre (Use Class E), public open space, a reconfigured access from East Grinstead Road and footway improvement works

Authority
Tandridge District Council
Appeal type
other · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
residential · Unknown
Inspector
Catchpole R
Postcode
RH7 6ES

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the GB and the effect of the proposal on its openness and purposes
  • whether or not there is any 'other harm' that would result from the appeal proposal with particular regard to the visual effect on the surrounding area
  • whether or not any harm to the GB by reason of inappropriateness, and any 'other harm' identified as arising from the appeal proposal, would be clearly outweighed by 'other considerations', so as to amount to very special circumstances

What decided it

The substantial weight attached to the housing land supply, extra care accommodation and new medical centre benefits clearly and demonstrably outweighed the substantial Green Belt harm and limited other harm, amounting to very special circumstances.

The substantial Green Belt harm (inappropriateness and loss of openness) and limited harm to character and appearance were clearly and demonstrably outweighed by benefits including substantial weight for housing land supply, extra care accommodation and the medical centre, and lesser weight for other benefits, so amounting to very special circumstances justifying the grant of permission.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
CSP18DP7DP10 BDP13 EDP20DP19DP21DP22CSP16CSP21CSP17CSP14
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 56Paragraph 116Paragraph 117Paragraph 142Paragraph 143Paragraph 153Paragraph 154Paragraph 155Paragraph 156

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 applied

The 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.

Appeals plan, £15 a month

With an account

What an account adds to this decision

50 other decided appeals within two kilometres of this site. In the app every dot opens its decision, and its letter wherever one was published, and you can draw your own site to see what has been decided around it.AllowedDismissedSplitThis decision
An appeal decision in the app, with the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out beside the letter
Every letter, there to read. We pick out the main issues, the policies and the judgments cited, so you can work through the letter faster.
Searching the full text of appeal decision letters in the app
Search inside every letter. By words or by meaning, filtered by authority, outcome, appeal type and procedure, with every locatable decision on the map and the Inspector named on each.
Start your free trial

More decisions in Tandridge District Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026

  1. Allowed29 October 20266006369
    Land at Thornhill, Westerham Road, Limpsfield, Oxted, RH8 0ED
  2. Dismissed26 October 20266014139
    31a Banstead Road, Caterham, CR3 5QH
  3. Dismissed14 October 20266008351
    Development Site West of Southwood, Waller Lane, Caterham, CR3 5EA
  4. Dismissed13 October 20266007518
    Rosemary Cottage, Smallfield Road, Horne, Horley, RH6 9JP
  5. Allowed25 September 20266006497
    Land at Mount Avenue, Chaldon, CR3 5BB

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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.