The Oasthouse, The Street, Mereworth, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 5LS

replacement of existing driveway gates on private road. The proposed gates will not be visible from a highway, do not exceed two metres in height (from ground level) and do not exceed the neighbour's existing fence

Authority: Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
Appeal type: householder · Householder (HAS)
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: other · Householder developments
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
The effects of the proposal on the character and appearance of the appeal property and area, with particular regard to the desirability of preserving and enhancing Mereworth Conservation Area and The Farmhouse Grade II listed building and its setting

What decided it

The proposed gates represent a replacement building not materially larger than the existing gate and would not be visually prominent from public vantage points or harm the setting of the listed building and conservation area.

Framework references: 149, 189

Plan policies cited: Policy CP3 of the Tonbridge and Malling Core Strategy 2007

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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What an account adds

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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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