Dancing Green Lenham Road, Headcorn, ASHFORD, TN27 9LG

erection of vehicle workshop, training hub and drop in centre for military veterans and creation of new vehicle access

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: employment-industrial · Other minor developments
Inspector: Smith D

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the location is suitable for the proposed development having regard to local policies
The effect on the character and appearance of the area
Whether any harm would be outweighed by other material considerations, including the proposed use

What decided it

The visual harm caused by the substantial industrial building in the countryside and the poor location when judged against relevant development plan policies outweighed the benefits of providing a facility for military veterans, particularly given the lack of certainty that the veterans' support services would be delivered and sustained.

Plan policies cited: Policy SS1, Policy SP17, Policy DM37, Policy DM1, Policy DM30

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.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.