®Planning appeal decision
Hams Travel, London Road, Flimwell, Wadhurst, TN5 7PL
Planning appeal 3275913 at Hams Travel, London Road, Flimwell, Wadhurst, TN5 7PL (Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) was allowed on 10 December 2021 by Inspector Chamberlain G, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposed dwelling would be in a suitable location, with particular reference to the spatial strategy in the development plan and the accessibility of services and facilities.
Extension of coach yard, extension of existing coach workshop, provision of new staff room with offices and the provision of one 4-bed dwelling for manging owner
- Authority
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential · Minor general industry/storage/warehousing
- Inspector
- Chamberlain G
- Postcode
- TN5 7PL
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed dwelling would be in a suitable location, with particular reference to the spatial strategy in the development plan and the accessibility of services and facilities
- The effect of the proposed dwelling on the character and appearance of the area, including whether the proposal would conserve and enhance the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
What decided it
The essential functional need for the Manager to live close to the coach yard to sustain the business's 24-hour call-out service outweighed the conflict with the spatial strategy and the moderate harm to the AONB.
The cumulative benefits of enabling an essential rural worker's dwelling, supporting the rural economy and business survival, facilitating yard redevelopment and highway safety improvements, and a limited contribution to housing land supply outweighed the conflict with the spatial strategy, limited harm from car dependency, and moderate adverse harm to the AONB landscape, even affording great weight to AONB conservation.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy LBD1Policy H9Core Policy 4Core Policy 5Core Policy 6Core Policy 14Policy EN1Policy EN25
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 80
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 appliedThe decision letter
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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.