Land at Plot 17, On the Riverside Area off Unicumes Lane, MAIDSTONE, ME16 8FT

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: enforcement · Enforcement Notice
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector: Kean G

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether a material change of use of the land has occurred
Whether the operational development alleged is integral to the unauthorised change of use
Whether planning permission should be granted for the development alleged to constitute the breach of planning control, having regard to landscape and visual impacts and wildlife and biodiversity matters
Whether the requirements of the notices exceed what is necessary to remedy the breach

What decided it

The cumulative visual impact of the subdivision of the riverbank into individually owned plots with associated structures (fencing, sheds, mooring facilities, platforms) fundamentally changed the character of this sensitive riverside landscape from a natural, open riverbank to a domesticated leisure use incompatible with the pre-existing character and the Medway Valley Landscape of Local Value designation.

Plan policies cited: Maidstone Local Plan 2017 Policy SS1(10), Maidstone Local Plan 2017 Policy SP17, Maidstone Local Plan 2017 Policy DM3, Maidstone Local Plan 2017 Policy DM7, Maidstone Local Plan 2017 Policy DM26, Maidstone Local Plan 2017 Policy DM30

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

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Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

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