®Planning appeal decision
Adjoining Church Hall, St Marys Church,, High Street, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, TN15 6NA
a new vicarage and carport with access through the village carpark
- Authority
- Sevenoaks District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Whelan P
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposed development would preserve the setting of the grade II* listed building, the Church of St. Mary
- whether the proposed development would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Kemsing Conservation Area
- the effect of the development on open space
What decided it
The Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites triggered the tilted balance under paragraph 11(d)(ii) of the Framework, which applied because no clear reason for refusal was found when heritage and other protective policies were applied, and the benefits of the proposal outweighed the moderate harm to designated open space.
The moderate harm to designated open space and conflict with policy GI2 and SP10 was outweighed by the considerable enhancement of the appearance of the Kemsing Conservation Area, the contribution to housing supply (accorded moderate weight), and economic benefits (accorded very moderate weight), with the presumption in favour of sustainable development applying.
Framework references: 11, 103
Plan policies cited: Policy EN4 of the Sevenoaks Allocations and Development Management Plan 2015, Policy SP1 of the Sevenoaks Core Strategy 2011, Policy GI2 of the ADMP, Policy SP10 of the Core Strategy
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.