Kittsmead, Colestock Road, Cowden, Edenbridge, TN8 7EB

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the site is an appropriate location for housing, having regard to local and national policies and the accessibility of facilities and services
• the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to its location within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

What decided it

The site's isolated location outside any development boundary, combined with poor accessibility to facilities and services necessitating reliance on private car travel, means the proposals conflict with the development plan and Framework policies on sustainable development, and the modest housing benefit does not outweigh these adverse impacts.

The conflict with the development plan attracted only moderate weight due to the Council's significant shortfall in five-year housing land supply (3.28 years), but the modest housing benefit, limited economic and biodiversity benefits, and significant adverse impacts of locating development in an unsustainable, isolated location contrary to Framework policies on sustainable transport and rural housing vitality meant the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits, and the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.