®Planning appeal decision
Frith Business Centre Frith Road, Aldington, Ashford, TN25 7HJ
Planning appeal 3324686 at Frith Business Centre Frith Road, Aldington, Ashford, TN25 7HJ (Ashford Borough Council) was dismissed on 30 July 2024 by Inspector Hobbs J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the site is a suitable location for residential development having regards to local and national planning policy for the provision of housing.
change of use of former business centre (Use Class B1c) to allow the siting of 30 residential park home caravans (over 50’s age restricted) with associated services, infrastructure and landscaping at Frith Business Park following the demolition and removal of the existing commercial buildings and associated hard standing. This
- Authority
- Ashford Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Hobbs J
- Postcode
- TN25 7HJ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the site is a suitable location for residential development having regards to local and national planning policy for the provision of housing
- the effect of the proposal on trees
- whether the proposal would provide acceptable living conditions for future occupiers, with particular regard to the provision of external space
What decided it
The appeal site is an inappropriate location for the scale of residential development proposed, being remote from day-to-day services and sustainable transport, and the proposal would necessitate harmful works to protected trees, such that the adverse impacts substantially and demonstrably outweigh the housing benefits under the tilted balance.
The benefits of 29 park homes addressing housing land supply shortfall and providing low-cost, age-restricted accommodation were ascribed considerable weight, but the substantial weight given to the harm of locating residential development in an unsustainable, remote location and necessitating works to protected trees meant the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework's policies taken as a whole.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy HOU5Policy SP1Policy SP2Policy ENV5Policy HOU15Policy ENV1
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
- Judgments
- Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.