®Planning appeal decision
Meopham Veterinary Hospital, Wrotham Road, South Street, Meopham, Gravesend, DA13 0QG
Planning appeal 3309853 at Meopham Veterinary Hospital, Wrotham Road, South Street, Meopham, Gravesend, DA13 0QG (Gravesham Borough Council) was dismissed on 28 September 2023 by Inspector Carpenter C, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt.
A 368m2 extension to an existing veterinary hospital, comprising a euthanasia room, hospital pharmacy, clinical storage/medical records room, surgical instrument preparation and autoclaves room, endoscopy and ethylene oxide room, library and clinical offices and meeting space, kitchen, staff restroom and dining area, and on-call bedroom with ensuite and disabled toilet facilities, as well as the change of use of land to form an extended carpark with EV charging comprising 10no. additional parking spaces on the adjoining parcel of land
- Authority
- Gravesham Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- community-institutional · Change of use
- Inspector
- Carpenter C
- Postcode
- DA13 0QG
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt
- the effect of the proposal on the Meopham Downs Landscape Character Area
- whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal
What decided it
The harms to the Green Belt by virtue of inappropriateness and loss of openness, and the significant harm to the Meopham Downs Landscape Character Area, were not clearly outweighed by the other considerations advanced, so very special circumstances did not exist to justify the development.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy CS12Policy CS19Policy CS07
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 137Paragraph 148Paragraph 147
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
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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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.