Traveller's Rest, Rockshaw Road, Caterham, RH1 3DE

the change of use of land to a gypsy caravan site comprising of one touring caravan, a caravan and a day room

Authority: Tandridge District Council
Appeal type: Planning
Procedure: Hearing
Development: caravan-gypsy
Postcode: RH1 3DE

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, having regard to the location of the site within the Surrey Hills National Landscape (SHNL) and Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV)
Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant development plan policies, including the effect on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt

What decided it

The proposal satisfied all the tests in paragraph 155 of the Framework (grey belt, demonstrable unmet need, and sustainable location) and caused no harm to the SHNL/AGLV, so it was not inappropriate development in the Green Belt and accorded with the development plan.

As no harm was found to the SHNL/AGLV or the Green Belt and the proposal was found to comply with the development plan, no countervailing harms arose to weigh against the identified benefits, including the unmet need for traveller pitches.

Framework references: 189, 142, 154, 155, 143, 56, 57

Plan policies cited: Policy CSP21, Policy DP7, Policy DP10, Policy CSP9

Judgments cited: New Forest National Park Authority v SSHCLG [2025] EWHC 726 (Admin); Monkhill Ltd v SSHCLG [2019] EWHC 1993 (Admin); (Morris) v Wealden District Council [2014] EWHC 4081 (Admin)

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.

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