Oxney Isle Barn, Swan Street, Wittersham, TENTERDEN, TN30 7PL

Proposed new single dwelling and landscaping

Authority: Ashford Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Hobbs J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including the HWNL
whether the proposal conforms with the spatial strategy having regard to local and national planning policy for the provision of housing

What decided it

The Framework's requirement to give great weight to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Landscapes, combined with the proposal's failure to accord with the spatial strategy and the development plan, outweighed the benefits of addressing housing land supply shortfall and providing accessible accommodation.

The harm to the character and appearance of the National Landscape and non-conformity with the spatial strategy, to which substantial weight was ascribed, outweighed the considerable benefits of addressing housing land supply shortfall, providing accessible accommodation for people with mobility impairments, and including significant sustainability measures and biodiversity net gain.

Framework references: 84

Plan policies cited: Policy ENV3b, Policy HOU5

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.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.