School Lane Farm School Lane, Iwade, Sittingbourne, ME9 8SG

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal on employment provision and community facilities within the area
• The effect of the proposed dwelling on the character and appearance of the area
• Whether the proposed dwelling would be in an appropriate location for new housing with particular regard to the Council's settlement strategy and the accessibility of services and facilities
• Whether the proposed development would affect the integrity of the SPAs as protected European sites of nature conservation importance

What decided it

The Council's inability to demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply triggered the tilted balance under Framework paragraph 11(d), and the benefits of housing delivery and sustainable location outweighed the modest conflict with LP Policies DM3 and ST1.

The negative effect on rural economy and community vitality (moderate weight against) was outweighed by the proposal's consistency with national policy, appropriate location, accessibility to services, contribution to housing supply in a context of shortfall, and social and economic benefits (collectively moderate to strong weight in favour), applying the presumption in favour of sustainable development.