®Planning appeal decision
Land at Battle Street, Cobham, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 3BZ
erection of a 4 bedroom detached house, including access, landscaping, parking and associated works
- Authority
- Gravesham Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Smith D
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed dwelling would be inappropriate development within the Green Belt and, if so, whether other considerations clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt and any other harm, so as to amount to very special circumstances
- Whether the proposal would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Cobham Conservation Area and the effect on the setting of the adjacent Meadow Cottages
- The effect on the landscape and scenic beauty of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and on the Ashenbank and Cobham Parkland Landscape Character Area
What decided it
The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt with no very special circumstances to justify it, as the site is physically outside the village and therefore does not qualify for the limited infilling exception, combined with the failure to preserve or enhance the conservation area and harm to the listed building setting.
The housing supply benefits and economic benefits of the proposal were weighty but not of sufficient strength to clearly outweigh the substantial harm to the Green Belt, the erosion of openness, the failure to preserve or enhance the conservation area, and the harm to the setting of the listed building.
Framework references: 149, 202, 11
Plan policies cited: Core Strategy Policy CS02, Core Strategy Policy CS12, Core Strategy Policy CS19, Core Strategy Policy CS20, Local Plan First Review Policy TC2, Local Plan First Review Policy TC3
Judgments cited: Julian Wood v SSCLG and Gravesham Borough Council [2015] EWCA Civ 195
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.