Little Star House, Star Hill Road, Dunton Green, Kent, TN14 6HA

the demolition of outbuildings and replacement with single dwelling and garage with access, parking and replacement of boundary wall with hedge

Authority: Sevenoaks District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Redford R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
the effect it has upon the openness of the Green Belt
the effect of the proposal on highway safety
whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt that fails to comply with the 50% floorspace increase limit and would harm openness and highway safety, with no very special circumstances to justify it.

The presumption in favour of sustainable development under paragraph 11(d) (due to lack of five-year housing land supply) was displaced by the application of Green Belt protection policies, which provide a clear reason for refusal; the modest benefits of the scheme do not clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt and highway safety.

Framework references: 11, 147, 149, 111

Plan policies cited: Policy GB2, Policy GB4, Policy EN1

Judgments cited: Bernard Wheatcroft Ltd v SSE 1982

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

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