S & B Car and Van Hire Limited, Forstal Lane, East Farleigh, MAIDSTONE, ME15 0QE

without planning permission, the unauthorised change of use of the land to the use for commercial vehicle hire considered to be a Sui Generis use, with integral operational development including the laying of hardstanding, erection of boundary treatments and siting of an office unit. Which is contrary to both national guidance and local development policies

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: enforcement · Enforcement Notice
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: employment-industrial · Change of use
Inspector: Steen A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the unauthorised change of use of the land and associated operational development for commercial vehicle hire on the intrinsic character and beauty of the landscape
whether the proposal is in a suitable location in terms of its relationship with adjacent settlements

What decided it

The development harms the intrinsic character and beauty of the landscape and is located in an unsuitable remote location contrary to development plan policies, outweighing any economic benefits to the rural economy.

Plan policies cited: Policy SS1, Policy DM3, Policy DM30, Policy SP17

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

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

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.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

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