32 High Street, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3YE

change of use of existing ground floor Class E(b) commercial, business and service to Class C3 residential use to form an integral part of the existing first and second floor dwelling

Authority: Horsham District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Cliff D

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect on the vitality and viability of Steyning Centre
The effect upon the integrity of the Arun Valley Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar sites

What decided it

The satisfactory demonstration through three years of marketing that the ground floor commercial unit is not viable, combined with the site's peripheral location in a transition area and Natural England's confirmation that water neutrality concerns are resolved through Southern Water's efficiency savings, justified allowing the change of use to residential.

Framework references: 90, 57, 55

Plan policies cited: Policy 13, Policy 7, Policy 31

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

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