®Planning appeal decision
245 Canterbury Street, Gillingham, Chowdhury, ME7 5XE
part retrospective application for the conversions of the ground and first floor to provide 2 units of one bedroom self-contained flats, together with the construction of a single storey infill extension, alteration to the shop front, installation of roof lights and provision of cycle and refuse storage -demolition of existing infill extension
- Authority
- Medway Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Evans L
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the proposed use of the ground floor unit as a residential unit on the vitality and viability of the neighbourhood centre
- The effect of the proposed residential frontage on the character and appearance of the neighbourhood centre and local area
- The impact of the proposals on the Special Protection Areas of the Thames Estuary and Marshes and the Medway Estuary and Marshes (SPAs)
What decided it
The unacceptable harm to the vitality and viability of the neighbourhood centre through loss of an active retail use, combined with the absence of mitigation for impacts on the SPAs, meant the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the modest housing benefits.
The modest social and economic benefits of providing two residential units were outweighed by the significant harm to the vitality and viability of the neighbourhood centre and the unmitigated adverse effects on the SPAs, resulting in a development that was not sustainable.
Framework references: 60, 180, 181
Plan policies cited: Policy R10, Policy BNE1, Policy BNE35
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.