®Planning appeal decision
Land West of Hermitage Farmhouse., Hermitage Lane, Aylesford Maidstone, Kent, ME16 9NT
Planning appeal 3256594 at Land West of Hermitage Farmhouse., Hermitage Lane, Aylesford Maidstone, Kent, ME16 9NT (Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council) was allowed on 12 November 2021 by Inspector Buchanan R, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the countryside.
a change of use of land and the erection of a single bay helicopter hangar to provide secure helicopter storage together with maintenance workshop, landing pad, parking and landscaping
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- employment-industrial · Change of use
- Inspector
- Buchanan R
- Postcode
- ME16 9NT
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the countryside
- whether the site is a suitable location for the proposal having regard to its intended use and the need for it, and local and national planning policy for development in the countryside
What decided it
The functional necessity of locating the helicopter hangar in close proximity to the quarry to support its continued operation, combined with the significant economic and environmental benefits, outweighed the limited harm to countryside character and appearance.
The limited intrinsic harm to the character and appearance of the countryside was outweighed by the appreciable social, economic and environmental benefits from the construction and operation of the development in support of an essential rural employment use.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy CP24 of the Core Strategy, September 2007Policy SQ1 of the Managing Development and the Environment Development Plan Document, April 2010CS Policy CP14
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 56
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.