Mobile Home at Robertsons Nursery, Goldsel Road, Swanley, BR8 8BF

Construction of a stable block and an associated path

Authority: Sevenoaks District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: agricultural · Other minor developments
Inspector: Caine M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

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

What decided it

The appellants failed to demonstrate an essential need for the stable to be located on the appeal site, so the benefits carried insufficient weight to outweigh the substantial Green Belt harm.

the modest weight attributed to the operational business needs and other benefits did not clearly outweigh the substantial harm arising from inappropriateness and the limited harm to openness, so very special circumstances were not demonstrated

Framework references: 149, 137

Plan policies cited: Policy LT2 of the Sevenoaks Allocations and Development Management Plan 2015, Policy LO 8 of the Sevenoaks Core Strategy 2011, Development in the Green Belt Supplementary Planning Document 2015

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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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.

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