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Dismissed2 February 20223273022

Hawkhurst Golf Club, High Street, Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 4JS

Planning appeal 3273022 at Hawkhurst Golf Club, High Street, Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 4JS (Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) was dismissed on 2 February 2022 by Inspector Woodwards O, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: 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).

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
Postcode
TN18 4JS

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.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy CP1Policy CP4Policy CP6Policy CP14Policy EN25Policy EN9Policy H3Policy HD1(a)Policy HD1(b)
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 8Paragraph 11Paragraph 62Paragraph 74Paragraph 111Paragraph 176Paragraph 177Paragraph 180Paragraph 202

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.

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The decision letter

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The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2022

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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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.