Burghfield, Wrotham Road, Gravesham, Kent, DA13 0RF

extension and conversion of existing stables into a 2-bedroom dwelling

Authority: Gravesham Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Buchanan R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposal is inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to local and national planning policy and any effects on openness and the purposes of the Green Belt
its effect on the character and appearance of the surrounding area, including the Meopham Downs Landscape Character Area
whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, or any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations to amount to very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal's failure to preserve the openness of the Green Belt and its appreciable harm to character and appearance could not be outweighed by the appellants' personal circumstances or modest housing supply benefits, and no very special circumstances existed to justify inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

The substantial harm to the Green Belt and moderate harm to character and appearance outweighed the significant weight given to the appellants' personal circumstances and the modest social and economic benefits of a single new home, despite the Council's inability to demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply.

Framework references: 149, 150, 148, 11

Plan policies cited: CS02, CS12, CS19

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.

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