®Planning appeal decision
Four Square Oast, Old Hay, Brenchley, Kent, TN12 7DG
Planning appeal 3305766 at Four Square Oast, Old Hay, Brenchley, Kent, TN12 7DG (Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) was dismissed on 4 August 2023 by Inspector Sylvester G, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the use of the property has been abandoned, such that the proposal is for a new build dwellinghouse.
the repair and reinstatement of a four kiln former Oast House
- Authority
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Sylvester G
- Postcode
- TN12 7DG
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the use of the property has been abandoned, such that the proposal is for a new build dwellinghouse
- If the proposal is for a new dwellinghouse, whether the location of the proposed development would be appropriate for new housing, with particular regard to accessibility to local facilities and services
- The effect of the development on biodiversity
What decided it
The proposal's conflict with the development plan as a whole, combined with the absence of ecological survey evidence and the unsustainable location requiring heavy reliance on private vehicles, meant that the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the limited benefits even under the Framework's presumption in favour of sustainable development.
The limited benefits of housing supply, heritage replication, environmental reuse, and character enhancement were outweighed by the conflict with sustainable development policies, the unsustainable location requiring private car reliance, the absence of protected species survey evidence, and the conflict with the development plan as a whole.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy H13Policy LBD1Core Policy 14Core Policy 4Core Policy 5Core Policy 6Policy EN25
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 104Paragraph 105Paragraph 152Paragraph 179Paragraph 180
- Judgments
- Iddenden v SSE [1972] 1 WLR 1433; The Trustees of Castell-y-Mynach Estate v Taff-Ely BC [1985] JPL 40
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Tunbridge Wells
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2023
- Dismissed20 October 20266012604Manchester House The Heath, Horsmonden, TN12 8HT
- Dismissed21 September 202660052291 The Down Cottages, Lamberhurst Down, Lamberhurst, TN3 8EX
- Dismissed21 September 202660052251 The Down Cottages, Lamberhurst Down, Lamberhurst, TN3 8EX
- Allowed3 September 20266012775Flat 3, 49 Madeira Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5SY
- Dismissed28 August 202660062602 Ashfield Cottages, Horns Hill, Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, TN18 4XD
The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.