Tanglefields, Lower South Park, South Godstone, RH9 8LF

for the conversion of existing garage building to two-bedroom detached dwelling

Authority: Tandridge District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Glasin J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the development is inappropriate
the effect on the openness of the Green Belt
whether the development is in a sustainable location
whether very special circumstances exist

What decided it

The engagement of paragraph 11(d) of the NPPF due to the Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, combined with the reuse of an existing building in a sustainable location, provided very special circumstances that outweighed the limited harm to Green Belt openness.

The limited harm to Green Belt openness was clearly outweighed by the significant positive weight afforded to housing land supply shortfall, the reuse of an existing building without material alterations, the sustainable location, and the modest contribution to rural community vitality.

Framework references: 11, 55, 131, 135, 153, 154

Plan policies cited: DP7, DP10, DP13, CSP18, CSP21

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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