1 Rose Cottages, Lenham Forstal Road, Lenham, ME17 2JL

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

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area
whether the proposal would be in a suitable location and with regard to access to services and facilities
nutrient neutrality, with particular regard to the discharge of waste water into the River Stour

What decided it

The substantial harm to character and appearance combined with the unsustainable location lacking convenient access to services and facilities without private car reliance outweighed any benefits, and the absence of adequate information on nutrient neutrality presented an unacceptable environmental risk.

Framework references: 79

Plan policies cited: Policy SP17, Policy DM1, Policy DM30, Policy DM32, Policy SS1, Policy DM3

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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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.
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