Land Adjacent to The Coach House, Chalkwell Road, Sittingbourne, KENT, ME10 2LY

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposed development on the living conditions of the occupiers of The Coach House, with particular regard to outlook and access to light, and the occupiers of the properties on Staplehurst Road and Alexander Court, with particular regard to privacy
• Whether the proposal would provide adequate living conditions for future occupiers of the proposed dwelling, with particular regard to the amount of outdoor amenity space
• The effect of the proposed development on access to the nearby garages

What decided it

The harmful dominant and overbearing effect on the outlook of occupiers of The Coach House, combined with the modest benefits being insufficient to outweigh the conflict with the development plan and the Framework's expectation of high amenity standards for existing users.

The modest benefits of housing delivery, economic activity and energy efficiency were outweighed by the significant harm to the living conditions of existing occupiers (particularly outlook) and the failure to meet the Framework's high amenity standards, resulting in the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighing the benefits.