®Planning appeal decision
Land to the rear of Hurstgrove, Castle Hill, Hartley, DA3 7BQ
demolition of existing buildings and structures and erection of a subterranean detached single storey three-bedroom dwelling
- Authority
- Sevenoaks District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Davies N
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and any relevant development plan policies and the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt
- Whether harm by reasons of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by the other considerations and whether those amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal
What decided it
The proposal would increase the overall volume of built development at the site and harm the openness of the Green Belt without a mechanism to secure removal of existing structures, and this harm is not clearly outweighed by other considerations.
The harm to the Green Belt openness, to which substantial weight was attached, was not clearly outweighed by the benefits of other considerations, and very special circumstances were not established.
Framework references: 11, 138, 149
Plan policies cited: Policy LO1 of the Core Strategy, Policy GB1 of the Sevenoaks Allocation and Development Management Plan
Judgments cited: Turner v Secretary of State for Communities and local Government [2016] EWCA Civ 466
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.