- Decision
- allowed, 18 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: E Catcheside
- Authority
- Crawley (South East)
- Appeal reference
- 6009147
- Application reference
- CR/2025/0344/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Change of use from B8 to flexible B2/B8
- Site context
- inside settlement
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- TR2
- Development plan policies
- Crawley Borough Local Plan 2023-2040 DD1, ST2, Parking Standards Annex
- Main issues
- car parking and highway safety
Summary
A B8 unit in Manor Royal was allowed flexible B2/B8 use. A 16-space shortfall against the indicative parking minimum was justified by trip-generation evidence and good public transport.
What made the difference
Undisputed transport evidence showing peak demand of 20 cars, together with the fact that the local standards are expressly "indicative" and allow site-specific justification.
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| TR2 | pass | code mapped by harvester — 35 spaces v 51 indicative minimum for sole B2; standards indicative; TAS peak demand 20; Manor Royal 24-hour buses (DL 5-13) |
Key facts
- Highway authority raised no objection (DL 8)
- Up to 44 spaces feasible without impeding HGVs (DL 11)
- Parties consulted on 2026 Framework; no Framework policy cited in reasoning (DL 3)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.