®Planning appeal decision
Unit 1 Town Barn, The Street, Smarden, Kent, TN27 8NA
Planning appeal 3347050 at Unit 1 Town Barn, The Street, Smarden, Kent, TN27 8NA (Ashford Borough Council) was dismissed on 28 February 2025 by Inspector Philpott M, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on employment space.
‘Conversion of Unit 1 Town Barn to two residential units and erection of two detached residential units following the demolition of Units 2 and 3, utilising existing access arrangements’
- Authority
- Ashford Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Philpott M
- Postcode
- TN27 8NA
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on employment space
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area and heritage assets
- whether the proposal would provide a satisfactory standard of accommodation, with particular regard to outlook and light receipt
What decided it
The loss of employment space, which was not justified under LP policy EMP2 criteria, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits of housing delivery and heritage enhancement.
The benefits of providing 4 energy-efficient dwellings on previously developed land, heritage enhancement and improved character and appearance were outweighed by the significant loss of employment space contrary to the development plan's economic growth strategy.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy HOU3aPolicy EMP2Policy SP3Policy SP1Policy SP2Policy ENV13Policy ENV14Policy SP6
- 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
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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.