Summary
Seven houses on an open site off Copthorne Bank, about 1 km from Copthorne's shop, school and village hall. Grey belt, unmet need and the Golden Rules limb were undisputed. The appeal was dismissed on GB7(1)(g)(iii). The walk is along a mainly unlit road with a stretch in the carriageway, so it is unattractive, and an hourly bus did not provide a "genuine choice" of modes. This was so despite a Connectivity Tool score of 52/100 and £250 travel vouchers. The scheme was therefore inappropriate, and moderate housing benefits did not clearly outweigh the harm.
The location finding
- GB7(1)(g)(iii): fail. 1 km / 15-minute walk to shop, school, village hall along mainly unlit 30-40 mph road with a section walking in the carriageway; hourly bus; Connectivity Tool score 52/100; no genuine choice of modes (DL 4-7, 11)
- TR3: fail. £250 travel vouchers don't change site features; unevidenced 30 mph extension not Grampian-able; TR3(1)(e) improvements not shown to exist (DL 6-7)
Route facts recorded
- Shop, school and village hall about 1 km (15-minute walk) away along mainly unlit Copthorne Bank; part of route has no footway, so pedestrians walk in the road
- Speed limits recently cut from 50 mph to 30-40 mph
- Hourly Crawley-Redhill bus from stops close to site (no shelters), plus school services and Surrey Connect demand-responsive bus
- DfT Connectivity Tool overall score 52 out of 100 — the site still failed (g)(iii)
- Planning obligation offered £250 per household bus/cycle travel vouchers
What made the difference
The gap in the footway (walking in the road), the lack of lighting on a 1 km route, and 30-40 mph traffic. A nearby hourly bus and a mid-range Connectivity Tool score did not rescue the site. The inspector treated walking and cycling attractiveness for "the majority of occupants", including children and people with mobility issues after dark, as the test. A continuous lit footway to the village would probably have changed the outcome.
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