Planning appeal decision
4 (Land Adjacent to Oakside Barn), Tattlebury Lane, Headcorn, Kent
Planning appeal 3309742 at 4 (Land Adjacent to Oakside Barn), Tattlebury Lane, Headcorn, Kent (Maidstone Borough Council) was allowed on 14 December 2023 by Inspector Catcheside E, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether or not the site is in a suitable location for housing, having regard to the spatial strategy set out in the development plan, and accessibility to services and facilities.
2 storey house
- Authority
- Maidstone Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Catcheside E
- Postcode
- TN27 9JU
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether or not the site is in a suitable location for housing, having regard to the spatial strategy set out in the development plan, and accessibility to services and facilities
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- whether material considerations exist that are sufficient to outweigh any conflict with development plan policy in respect of the above issues
What decided it
The existence of an extant prior approval permission for conversion of the existing barn to a dwelling under Class Q permitted development, representing a genuine fallback position with comparable impacts to the proposed scheme, was sufficient to outweigh the conflict with the spatial strategy in Policy SS1.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy SS1Policy SP17Policy DM1Policy DM30Policy SP9Policy SP15
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 56
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 Maidstone Borough Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2023
- Dismissed29 October 2026601053621 Tasker Close, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME15 8NZ
- Allowed27 October 20266015190Little Southernden, Southernden Road, Headcorn, TN27 9LL
- Allowed27 October 20266011721Loxley House, Gravelly Bottom Road, Kingswood, Maidstone, ME17 3NT
- Allowed27 October 20266011076Little Southernden, Southernden Road, Headcorn, TN27 9LL
- Allowed26 October 20266010539Land Rear Of 58 Church Street, Boughton Monchelsea, Maidstone, ME17 4HN
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.
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