Unit K6 Northfleet Industrial Estate, Lower Road, Northfleet, GRAVESEND, DA11 9BL

change of use of building to a mixed warehouse and office use together with erection of first and second floor extension and construction of a multi level car park, together with associated earthworks and drainage

Authority: Gravesham Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: employment-industrial · Change of use
Inspector: Pattison B

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on protected species, with particular regard to bats
the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The absence of a bat roosting suitability survey prior to determination, which is required to establish whether protected species would be harmed, made it impossible to satisfy the requirements of NPPF paragraph 180 and Policy CS12, and this conflict with biodiversity protection policy outweighed the economic benefits of the proposal.

Framework references: 174, 180, 130

Plan policies cited: CS12, CS03, CS19

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.

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