Offham Service Station, London Road Addington, West Malling, Kent, ME19 5AL

temporary change of use of land to hand car wash, and stationing of portacabin to act as staff welfare unit (3 years)

Authority: Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: other · Change of use
Inspector: Dade E

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, including the effects of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt
The effects of the proposal on groundwater resources
The effects of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
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 substantial harm to Green Belt openness and significant harm to groundwater resources were not clearly outweighed by the modest economic benefits claimed, and very special circumstances were not established.

Framework references: 137, 147, 148, 149, 174

Plan policies cited: Policy CP3, Policy CP25, Policy CP1, Policy CP24, Policy SQ1

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.

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