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

Planning appeal 3264753 at Tong Farm, Marle Place Road, Brenchley, TN12 7HS (Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) was dismissed on 12 November 2021 by Inspector Holden S, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

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
Postcode: TN12 7HS

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.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Core Policy 4
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 176Paragraph 79Paragraph 11

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 applied

The 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.

Appeals plan, £15 a month

With an account

What an account adds to this decision

12 other decided appeals within two kilometres of this site. In the app every dot opens its decision, and its letter wherever one was published, and you can draw your own site to see what has been decided around it.AllowedDismissedSplitThis decision

An appeal decision in the app, with the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out beside the letter — Every letter, there to read. We pick out the main issues, the policies and the judgments cited, so you can work through the letter faster.

Searching the full text of appeal decision letters in the app — Search inside every letter. By words or by meaning, filtered by authority, outcome, appeal type and procedure, with every locatable decision on the map and the Inspector named on each.

Start your free trial

More decisions in Tunbridge Wells

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2021

Dismissed20 October 20266012604
Manchester House The Heath, Horsmonden, TN12 8HT
Dismissed21 September 20266005229
1 The Down Cottages, Lamberhurst Down, Lamberhurst, TN3 8EX
Dismissed21 September 20266005225
1 The Down Cottages, Lamberhurst Down, Lamberhurst, TN3 8EX
Allowed3 September 20266012775
Flat 3, 49 Madeira Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5SY
Dismissed28 August 20266006260
2 Ashfield Cottages, Horns Hill, Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, TN18 4XD

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.