Frith Manor, East Grinstead
The most demanding of the five for an applicant. This site had street lighting and a continuous footway all the way, and still failed, because the footway was narrow and ran beside a busy road.
- Appeal reference
- APP/M3645/W/26/6008688
- Decided
- 23 September 2026
- Authority
- Tandridge District Council
- Proposal
- One self-build dwelling
- Housing land supply
- About 1.92 years
- Framework
- August 2026
What the inspector found on foot
Distance was not the problem
The inspector accepted 2 km could be walked, then turned to what the walk is like.
Distances of this order could, in principle, be capable of being undertaken on foot by some users. Nevertheless, the quality of the walking environment is an important considerationDecision letter ¶14
A lit, continuous footway is not enough
The finding turns on width and proximity to traffic, not on presence.
Whilst Lingfield Road benefits from street lighting and a continuous footway, the footway is relatively narrow and runs immediately adjacent to a busy road. Consequently, although walking is possible, the route is not one that would be particularly attractive or convenient for many usersDecision letter ¶14
The station, 2 km away
A railway station did not rescue the site, for the same reason.
for the reasons already set out regarding the quality of the pedestrian environment, the station would not be conveniently accessible for all users, particularly those with reduced mobilityDecision letter ¶16
Available is not the same as attractive
Every mode existed. That was not the test.
I find that the site provides some choice of transport modes. Walking, cycling, bus and rail travel are available in principle. However, the attractiveness and convenience of those alternatives is constrained by the quality of the pedestrian environment, the limited frequency of public transport services and the distances involvedDecision letter ¶17
The standard
Not whether an alternative exists, but whether it is attractive enough to change behaviour.
Whilst Policy TR3(a) does not require private car use to be eliminated, particularly in rural areas, I am not persuaded that future occupiers would have a genuinely attractive choice of transport modes such that reliance on the private car would be significantly reducedDecision letter ¶17
What else was weighed
Distance. East Grinstead town centre and railway station about 2 km away, with closer facilities at Baldwins Hill. Distance was not the problem.
The buses. Two routes nearby. “One service operates only on weekdays, neither service operates on Sundays, and frequencies are modest” (¶15).
No Connectivity Tool. “No Connectivity Tool assessment has been provided by either party … there is no objective connectivity score available to assist in resolving the dispute” (¶18). The inspector treated its absence as a gap in the evidence.
How close it was. The inspector called limb (iii) “finely balanced”. A wider footway, a better bus service or a tool score could have tipped it.
Other grounds. Significant openness harm, and an unmitigated effect on the Ashdown Forest Special Protection Area: “a reasonable prospect falls short of the certainty required” (¶32). Partial costs were awarded against the council on an unrelated highway reason.
Weight to the home. Moderate for one dwelling against a 1.92-year supply; self-build limited (¶34).
The point the case turned on
Route quality rather than distance. Everything an applicant would normally point to was present: lighting, a continuous footway, bus stops, a town and a station within 2 km. The footway's narrowness beside a busy road was enough on its own.
Read the inspector's full decision: appeal 6008688 (PDF). Official record on the Planning Inspectorate service: appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk. Paragraph numbers above are those of the decision letter.
Summarised for application 26/01470/FUL, Land North of Station Road, Claverdon. Quotations are verbatim from the decision letter; the surrounding description is a summary. Back to the route survey.
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