®Planning appeal decision
Oakhurst Centre, West Chiltington Lane, Coneyhurst, BILLINGSHURST, RH14 9DN
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
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.
Framework references: 11, 170, 174, 175, 177, 178, 179, 181, 182
Plan policies cited: Policy 38 of the Horsham District Planning Framework 2015 (HDPF), HDPF Policy 23
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.