Land Surrounding The Stables, Land East of Carters Hill, Meadow, Underriver House Road, Underriver, Kent , TN15 0RY

change of use from agricultural field to a private dog walking leisure and recreational facility

Authority: Sevenoaks District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector: Sutton A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the revised National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
The effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt
The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
The effect of the proposal on the living conditions of occupants of neighbouring properties, with regards noise
The effect of the proposal on highway safety in the area

What decided it

The significant harm to the character and appearance of the Kent Downs National Landscape through the introduction of concentrated commercial dog walking activity in a distinctly agricultural setting, to which great weight was attached, was not outweighed by the limited benefits of the proposal.

Framework references: 11, 137, 150, 111

Plan policies cited: Policy LO8, Policy SP1, Policy EN1, Policy EN5, Policy EN2, Policy EN7

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.

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