®Planning appeal decision
Land at White Lodge, Ockley Lane, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 0BP
Planning appeal 3373346 at Land at White Lodge, Ockley Lane, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 0BP (Mid Sussex District Council) was dismissed on 13 February 2026 by Inspector Heppell J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether or not the appeal site would be a suitable location for the proposed development having regard to local and national planning policy and guidance.
erection of detached dwelling with attached garage, associated parking and new access from Ockley Lane (revision of application DM/23/2741)
- Authority
- Mid Sussex District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Heppell J
- Postcode
- RH15 0BP
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether or not the appeal site would be a suitable location for the proposed development having regard to local and national planning policy and guidance
- whether or not the proposed dwelling would be located so that occupants could access services and facilities by a range of transport modes
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The appeal site's location away from settlement boundaries, combined with the absence of clear evidence of reasonable sustainable transport options, means future residents would be reliant on the private vehicle, and this conflict with the development plan's locational strategy substantially outweighs the benefits of delivering a single self-build dwelling.
The substantial harm from conflict with the development plan's locational and accessibility policies outweighed the moderate benefits of housing delivery, self-build status, economic benefits and quick delivery, such that the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DP6Policy DP12Policy DP15Policy DP21Policy DP26Policy 1 of the Hassocks Neighbourhood Plan 2014-2031Policy 9 of the Hassocks Neighbourhood Plan 2014-2031
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 58Paragraph 73
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 appliedThe 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.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Mid Sussex
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
- Dismissed16 September 20266009838Glebelands Field, Lodge Lane, Bolney, RH17 5RR
- Dismissed16 June 20266002763Woodcote, Yew Lane, East Grinstead, RH19 2AZ
- Allowed20 April 20263373757Land At Gibbshaven Farm, North Of Felbridge Road, Furnace Wood , West Sussex, RH19 2SJ
- Dismissed30 March 20266002280Floran Farm, Hophurst Hill, Crawley Down, West Sussex, RH10 4LP
- Dismissed7 November 20253368572The Croft, Holtye Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 3QF
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.