Land to South of Hookstead Green, Ashford Road, Ashford, TN26 3NE

erection of up to 28 dwellings together with all necessary infrastructure

Authority: Ashford Borough Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Chalk M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The Council's housing land supply, with regard to the Stodmarsh Lakes nutrient neutrality issue
Whether the appeal site is a suitable location for housing, having regard to local and national policies
The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The combined harm from the unsuitable location of the housing and the harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area was found to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposed development.

The substantial harm from the unsuitable location together with moderate additional harm to character and appearance significantly and demonstrably outweighed the considerable benefits of housing delivery, affordable housing, biodiversity net gain and economic benefits, even given the shortfall in five year housing land supply.

Plan policies cited: SP1, SP2, HOU5, ENV3a, COM1, COM2, COM3, HOU1, IMP1, IMP4

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.