1 Great Bainden Cottages, School House Lane, Horsmonden, Kent, TN12 8BW

new dwelling to replace an existing stable building at the rear of Great Bainden Cottage, School House Lane

Authority: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Knight A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the site is in a suitable location for residential development, having regard to local and national planning policy and accessibility to services and facilities
The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The significant harm to character and appearance and the unsuitability of the location due to car dependency, combined with the engagement of the tilted balance, could not be overcome by the modest benefits of one new dwelling on previously developed land.

the significant harm of increased car travel, undermining of a plan-led approach to housing, and harm to character and appearance outweighed the benefits of one new dwelling and use of previously developed land, even with the tilted balance engaged

Framework references: 11, 159, 225

Plan policies cited: Policy LBD1, Policy EN1, Policy EN25, Core Policy 6, Core Policy 14, Core Policy 4

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.