®Planning appeal decision
1a Rydens Grove, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, KT12 5RX
Planning appeal 3374602 at 1a Rydens Grove, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, KT12 5RX (Elmbridge Borough Council) was dismissed on 2 February 2026 by Inspector Francis L, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the appeal proposal on the character and appearance of the area.
to demolish and replace the existing light industrial building with a new light industrial commercial building, extended vertically to incorporate a new one bed first floor flat
- Authority
- Elmbridge Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- employment-industrial · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Francis L
- Postcode
- KT12 5RX
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the appeal proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- the living conditions of the surrounding residential occupiers at 1, 3, 5 and 7 Rydens Grove with particular regard to privacy and loss of outlook
- the demand for and availability of on-street parking
What decided it
The harm to character and appearance and to the living conditions of neighbouring residents, arising from the building's excessive height, scale, bulk and roof form, significantly and demonstrably outweighs the modest benefits of the proposal when assessed against the Framework taken as a whole, even in the context of the Council's housing land supply shortfall.
The modest benefits of an additional residential dwelling (limited weight given no self-build guarantee), replacement light industrial units, maintenance and space efficiency benefits, and ecological enhancements (moderate weight) were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the substantial harm to character and appearance and to neighbouring residential amenity, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy CS17 of the Elmbridge Core Strategy 2011Policy DM2 of the Elmbridge Local Plan Development Management Plan 2015Policy DM7 of the Elmbridge Local Plan Development Management Plan 2015Policy CS21 of the Elmbridge Core Strategy 2011
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
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
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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.