®Planning appeal decision
Land To The West of Whites Copse, Horsham Road, Rowhook, West Sussex, RH12 3PZ
change of use of land from agricultural to day nursery and forest pre- school (Use Class E(f)). Retention of existing field shelters. Construction of education/nursery building, polytunnels and woodwork shelter. Alterations to existing access and extensive hard and soft landscaping
- Authority
- Horsham District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- community-institutional · Change of use
- Inspector
- Dyer I
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether, or not, the site is a suitable location for the proposal, having particular regard to planning policies and transport access
- The effect of the proposal on Whites Copse, which is an ancient woodland
What decided it
The harm to Whites Copse ancient woodland, an irreplaceable habitat, without wholly exceptional reasons to justify it, combined with the unsuitability of the site's location and its near-total reliance on the private car.
The benefits of early years provision, economic activity and biodiversity net gain did not outweigh the harm to the ancient woodland and the harm from an unsustainable, car-dependent location, so the balance tipped against the proposal.
Framework references: 110, 88, 89, 100, 193
Plan policies cited: Policy 2, Policy 3, Policy 10, Policy 26, Policy 31, Policy 40, Policy 43, Policy 46
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.