®Planning appeal decision
Millfield Meadow Forstal Lane, Harrietsham, Maidstone, ME17 1LB
Planning appeal 3347483 at Millfield Meadow Forstal Lane, Harrietsham, Maidstone, ME17 1LB (Maidstone Borough Council) was dismissed on 4 March 2025 by Inspector Goldberg V, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the conversion of the office building is acceptable, having regard to the Council's spatial strategy.
‘redevelopment of Site for the conversion of an Office Building into 2no. dwellings and the erection of 2no. bungalows and 3no. dwellings (7no. Units)’
- Authority
- Maidstone Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Goldberg V
- Postcode
- ME17 1LB
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the conversion of the office building is acceptable, having regard to the Council's spatial strategy
- the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the surrounding countryside and the effect on the setting of the Kent Downs NL
- whether the proposal would be a suitable location for housing, having regard to the Council's spatial strategy and the provisions of the Framework
What decided it
The substantial harm to the character and appearance of the countryside and the setting of the Kent Downs National Landscape, combined with the unacceptable conversion failing to meet Policy LPRQD5 criteria, outweighed the limited benefits of site tidying and environmental enhancements, and the proposal's conflict with the development plan could not be justified by material considerations.
Substantial weight was afforded to the conflicts with the development plan and the harm to character and appearance and the Kent Downs National Landscape setting; limited weight was given to site tidying and environmental enhancements; the proposal's delivery of seven dwellings attracted no weight given the Council's demonstrated five-year housing land supply; the balance tipped decisively against the proposal.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy LPRQD5Policy LPRHOU1Policy LPRSP9Policy LPRSP15Policy LPRQD4Policy LPRSS1
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 189
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 Maidstone Borough Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
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- Allowed27 October 20266011721Loxley House, Gravelly Bottom Road, Kingswood, Maidstone, ME17 3NT
- Allowed27 October 20266011076Little Southernden, Southernden Road, Headcorn, TN27 9LL
- Allowed26 October 20266010539Land Rear Of 58 Church Street, Boughton Monchelsea, Maidstone, ME17 4HN
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.