Branford Wells, Brickhouse Lane, Newchapel

Appeal 6010313 · Tandridge District Council · Planning Inspector · decided 4 September 2026 · dismissed

Conversion of agricultural building to form five dwellings, in the Green Belt.

Cited in: 5. Walking routes and stations

Why this is cited. This appeal shows a five-dwelling scheme failing the sustainable-location limb: the site was away from settlements, facilities and bus services, on a 40 mph lane with no footway or lighting, so occupiers “would be heavily reliant on private vehicles” with no genuine choice of modes. It is the route-and-services test SDC should apply, not a boundary line.

Key points

Location: "The appeal site is in a rural area away from settlements, facilities and bus services" (¶14). The 40 mph lane "lacks footways and streetlighting" (¶14), so "future occupiers of the proposed dwellings would be heavily reliant on private vehicles to access services, and the location would not offer them a genuine choice of transport modes" (¶14).

Quotations are from the officer report, decision notice or appeal decision letter, with page (p.) or paragraph (¶) numbers. Read the decision itself for the full reasoning.

Summarised for the note on Stratford decisions under the August 2026 NPPF. Not legal advice. Back to the note.