®Planning appeal decision
Land off Forest Hill, Tovil, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6FG
3 x 4-bedroom dwellings with associated car parking and landscaping
- Authority
- Maidstone Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- MacLeod R
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the development and loss of open space on the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the siting of the northernmost house on the health and visual amenity group of sycamore trees
- the effect of activities at an adjacent leisure centre on living conditions of future occupiers of the dwellings
- the effect of the development on protected species
What decided it
The cumulative harm to character and appearance, trees, living conditions of future occupiers, and inadequate protected species mitigation, combined with the Council's demonstrated five-year housing land supply, justified dismissal.
The modest contribution to housing need was outweighed by the harm to local character and appearance, the adverse effect on the sycamore trees' amenity value and longevity, the incompatibility with living conditions due to proximity to the games court, and the inadequate mitigation for protected species.
Framework references: 11
Plan policies cited: Policy SP1, Policy DM1, Policy DM3
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.