®Planning appeal decision
Digswell , Lower Hartlip Road, Hartlip, Kent, ME9 7SX
Planning appeal 3344926 at Digswell , Lower Hartlip Road, Hartlip, Kent, ME9 7SX (Swale Borough Council) was dismissed on 7 February 2025 by Inspector Holden S, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the site is suitable for residential development having regard to local and national planning policy for the location of housing.
demolition of 2no. commercial premises (Use Class E) and erection of 4no. dwellings together with associated parking, refuse and cycle stores, and landscaping
- Authority
- Swale Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Holden S
- Postcode
- ME9 7SX
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the site is suitable for residential development having regard to local and national planning policy for the location of housing
- The effects of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The cumulative adverse impacts of unsustainable location and harmful character and appearance effects, combined with limited housing benefits due to the fallback position providing the same number of units, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.
The limited housing benefits (no net increase in units compared to the fallback scheme) were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the cumulative adverse impacts of unsustainable location contrary to the spatial strategy, over-reliance on private transport, and harmful effects on character and appearance, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy ST3Policy CP2Policy CP4Policy DM14Policy DM24
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
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
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Swale
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
- Allowed8 July 20263376221Land West Of Borden Lane, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 8HR
- Allowed10 December 20253365131Land At Sandbanks Lane And Seasalter Road, Graveney, Kent , ME13 9DU
- Dismissed23 October 20253365056Cowstead Farm, Queenborough Road, Halfway, Kent, ME12 3RL
- Dismissed2 October 202533609392 Parsonage Chase, Minster-on-Sea, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 3JL
- Dismissed29 July 20253357228Land at Honeysuckle Drive, Minster on Sea, Kent, ME12 3RE
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.