Pollyfields Farm Scragged Oak Road, Detling, MAIDSTONE, ME14 3HL

change of use and conversion of existing barns to create a single family dwelling

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Smith H

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the site is a suitable location for the proposal having regard to local and national policy, and the accessibility of the site to services and facilities
the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
whether it has been demonstrated that a reasonable attempt has been made to secure a suitable business re-use for the existing buildings on site

What decided it

The poor accessibility of the site to essential services and facilities and the resulting high reliance on private motor vehicles by future occupants, which conflicts with the development plan's spatial strategy and national policy on sustainable development.

Framework references: 176

Plan policies cited: Policy SS1, Policy DM1, Policy SP17, Policy DM30, Policy DM31

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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