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Dismissed19 December 20253372733

Oakhurst Centre, West Chiltington Lane, Coneyhurst, Billingshurst, RH14 9DN

Planning appeal 3372733 at Oakhurst Centre, West Chiltington Lane, Coneyhurst, Billingshurst, RH14 9DN (Horsham District Council) was dismissed on 19 December 2025 by Inspector Sylvester G, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the appeal site is suitable for the development proposed, having particular regard to national and local policy on flood risk, including the sequential test and the exception test where relevant.

settled gypsy accommodation site comprising 10no pitches and associated utility buildings

Authority
Horsham District Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
caravan-gypsy · Major traveller and caravan pitches
Inspector
Sylvester G
Postcode
RH14 9DN

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Whether the appeal site is suitable for the development proposed, having particular regard to national and local policy on flood risk, including the sequential test and the exception test where relevant.

What decided it

The appellant's Flood Risk Assessment failed to demonstrate that occupiers would be safe from current and future surface water flooding without increasing flood risk elsewhere, and the development failed the flood risk sequential test.

The substantial weight attached to the shortfall in Gypsy and Traveller pitch provision, equality implications, economic benefits, biodiversity net gain and reopening of the PRoW did not outweigh the very substantial harm arising from unresolved flood risk, which was determinative and resulted in conflict with the development plan as a whole.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy 38 of the Horsham District Planning Framework 2015 (HDPF)HDPF Policy 23
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 170Paragraph 174Paragraph 175Paragraph 177Paragraph 178Paragraph 179Paragraph 181Paragraph 182

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

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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.

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