Woodfield, White Hill Road, Detling, Kent, ME14 3HH

re-use of an existing former stable building as a holiday- let, with associated external alterations, biodiversity enhancements and parking provision

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector: Pattison B

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the existing building is suitable for conversion having regard to the relevant development plan policies
The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the Kent Downs National Landscape and the surrounding countryside

What decided it

The proposal complies with Policy LPRQD5 criteria for conversion of rural buildings for tourism use, and the building's modest scale, traditional materials and screened location mean it would conserve rather than harm the character and appearance of the Kent Downs National Landscape.

Framework references: 182

Plan policies cited: LPRSS1, LPRSP9, LPRSP15, LPRQD4, LPRQD5, SD1, SD2, SD7, SD9

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.

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