Land north of Hockenden Lane, Cookham Road, Swanley , Kent, BR8 7QH

Re-submission of an application to change the use of the yard and buildings to be used as storage for an agricultural contracting business

Authority: London Borough of Bromley
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: employment-industrial · Other minor developments
Inspector: Nilsson A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether or not the development is inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework (2023) and any relevant development plan policies, including the effect on openness
If the development is inappropriate development, is the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify it

What decided it

The development amounts to inappropriate development in the Green Belt that causes harm to openness and conflicts with Green Belt purposes, and the other considerations advanced do not clearly outweigh this harm to constitute very special circumstances.

Framework references: 143, 152, 153, 154, 155

Plan policies cited: Policy 49 of the Bromley Local Plan (2019), Policy G2 of the London Plan (2021)

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.

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