®Planning appeal decision
Land Adjoining Spring Cottage, Batts Corner, Dockenfield, Surrey, GU10 4EX
Planning appeal 6004088 at Land Adjoining Spring Cottage, Batts Corner, Dockenfield, Surrey, GU10 4EX (Waverley Borough Council) was dismissed on 11 May 2026 by Inspector Catcheside E, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the site is a suitable location for the proposed development, having particular regard to accessibility to services and facilities by sustainable travel modes.
erection of a single self-build including a detached garage, landscaping, and access improvements, along with the setting out of a domestic curtilage
- Authority
- Waverley Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Catcheside E
- Postcode
- GU10 4EX
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the site is a suitable location for the proposed development, having particular regard to accessibility to services and facilities by sustainable travel modes
- whether the proposal would accord with the statutory provisions for biodiversity net gain
What decided it
The failure to comply with the statutory provisions for biodiversity net gain, combined with the site's poor connectivity by sustainable travel modes, meant the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.
The significant weight given to housing delivery and moderate weight to social and economic benefits were outweighed by the considerable negative weight attached to the failure to comply with statutory biodiversity net gain provisions and the limited weight attached to the conflict with sustainable transport policies in the context of the housing shortfall.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy ST1 of the Waverley Borough Local Plan Part 1: Strategic Policies and Sites February 2018Policy DM9 of the Waverley Borough Local Plan Part 2: Site Allocations and Development Management Policies March 2023
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 84Paragraph 89Paragraph 11
- Judgments
- Braintree DC v SSCLG, Greyread Ltd & Granville Developments Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 610
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.