®Planning appeal decision
Townland Close, Biddenden, Kent, TN27 8AR
up to 50 dwellings (including 40% affordable housing), community orchard and allotments, informal public open space, sustainable drainage system, vehicular access point and associated ancillary works
- Authority
- Ashford Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Bowyer J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether or not the development would be in a suitable location having regard to the scale of the development and the overall spatial strategy for the area
- the effect of the proposal on the landscape and character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the proposal on the setting and significance of heritage assets
- the effect of the proposal on trees
What decided it
The Council's inability to demonstrate a five year housing land supply engaged the paragraph 11(d) tilted balance, and the identified landscape and heritage harms were found not to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the substantial housing and other benefits of the scheme.
The moderate landscape harm and less than substantial heritage harm (to which great weight was given) were clearly outweighed by the combined public benefits, including very significant weight to the housing land supply contribution and significant weight to affordable housing, such that the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.
Framework references: 11, 56, 174, 202
Plan policies cited: SP1, SP2, SP6, HOU5, ENV3a, ENV5, ENV13, ENV14, COM2
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.