Court Lodge Farm, The Street, Boxley, Maidstone, ME14 3DX

the erection of a new single storey 3 bed/6 person dwellinghouse

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Wright A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area, having particular regard to conserving and enhancing the landscape and scenic beauty of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
whether or not the proposed development would provide a suitable location for housing, having regard to the accessibility of services and facilities and the provisions of the development plan

What decided it

The considerable harm to the character and appearance of the AONB and the unsuitability of the location for housing due to poor accessibility to services and facilities, which together outweigh the limited benefits of housing delivery and environmental performance.

The considerable harm to character and appearance and the significant harm from unsuitability of location for housing outweighed the limited benefits of housing delivery, environmental performance, biodiversity enhancement and the neutral heritage considerations.

Framework references: 79

Plan policies cited: Policy SS1, Policy SP17, Policy DM1, Policy DM30

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.