Tong Farm, Marle Place Road, Brenchley, TN12 7HS

demolition of existing buildings, and the development of 5 dwellings, new accesses and associated landscaping

Authority: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Holden S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

What decided it

The proposal would introduce a suburban layout of bulky dwellings in a formal arrangement that would be harmful to the character and appearance of the High Weald AONB, conflicting with Core Policy 4 and paragraph 176 of the NPPF, and this harm could not be outweighed by housing delivery benefits given the AONB designation.

Although the Council cannot demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply, the AONB designation provides a clear reason for refusal under paragraph 11(d) of the NPPF, displacing the presumption in favour of sustainable development; the harm to the AONB outweighs the housing benefits.

Framework references: 176, 79, 11

Plan policies cited: Core Policy 4

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.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

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