®Planning appeal decision
Birch Cottage, Maidstone Road, Staplehurst, Kent, TN12 0RG
‘Replacement of stable building and barn, which have planning permission for use as three holiday-lets, with a new, smaller building for use as a single holiday let.’
- Authority
- Maidstone Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- leisure-sport · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Shearing C
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposed development would be at an unacceptable risk of flooding
What decided it
The development would be at an unacceptable risk of flooding as a 'more vulnerable' use in Flood Zone 3b, failing the sequential test and conflicting with Framework paragraphs 159 and 162, which provide a clear reason for refusal under paragraph 11 of the Framework.
The safety of future occupiers in respect of flood risk, given substantial weight, outweighed the benefits of a reduced footprint and increased permeability, and the fallback positions afforded limited weight, resulting in dismissal despite accordance with the local plan policy.
Framework references: 11, 159, 162
Plan policies cited: Policy DM1
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.