®Planning appeal decision
Hawkhurst Golf Club, High Street, Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 4JS
Hybrid Application: Demolition of existing clubhouse, squash courts and ancillary structures, and redevelopment of existing golf course. Full planning permission sought for new relief road and associated earthworks and junctions with A268 and A229. Outline planning permission (all matters reserved for future determination) sought for residential development, a C2/C3 care home, class D1 facilities such as a doctors' surgery and/or community hall, public car park, public park and associated parking, servicing, utilities, footpath and cycle links, formal and informal open space including woodland planting and recreation facilities, ground and infrastructure works
- Authority
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Other Major Developments
- Inspector
- Woodwards O
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, including the landscape and scenic beauty of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (the AONB)
- the effect of the proposed development on traffic congestion and highway safety, with particular regard to the effect of the proposed new road
- the effect of the proposed development on biodiversity, including consideration of mitigation and biodiversity net gain
- whether or not the appeal site is an appropriate location for development of this type, both with regard to the principle of the site's location and access to services and facilities, including Hawkhurst village
What decided it
The harm to the character, appearance and scenic beauty of the High Weald AONB, and the absence of exceptional circumstances under paragraph 177 of the Framework, outweighed the substantial benefits of the scheme.
The substantial and significant benefits of housing, affordable housing, self-build provision, the care home and traffic congestion improvements were found insufficient to outweigh the great weight to be given to conserving the AONB, so the ordinary unweighted planning balance tipped against the proposal.
Framework references: 8, 11, 62, 74, 111, 176, 177, 180, 202
Plan policies cited: Policy CP1, Policy CP4, Policy CP6, Policy CP14, Policy EN25, Policy EN9, Policy H3, Policy HD1(a), Policy HD1(b)
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.