Unit 1, 7 Littlehaven Lane, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4JF

construction of a new first floor for residential use above the existing commercial premises

Authority: Horsham District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Housden C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the occupiers of 1-3 Perth Way and 1 Innes Road with specific regard to outlook
the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the future occupiers of the development with specific regard to noise and disturbance

What decided it

The significant harm to the living conditions of neighbouring occupiers through overbearing effect and loss of outlook, combined with unresolved concerns about noise impacts on future occupiers, outweighed the benefits of housing delivery on brownfield land in a location with insufficient housing land supply.

The adverse effects of granting planning permission, comprising significant harm to neighbouring amenity and future occupier living conditions, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the moderate benefits of housing delivery, brownfield reuse, and economic benefits, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.

Framework references: 11, 124, 135, 139, 198, 232

Plan policies cited: Policy 32 of the Horsham District Planning Framework (2015), Policy 33 of the Horsham District Planning Framework (2015)

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.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.