®Planning appeal decision
Benenden Telephone Exchange, New Pond Road, Benenden, Kent, TN17 4EJ
Planning appeal 3352373 at Benenden Telephone Exchange, New Pond Road, Benenden, Kent, TN17 4EJ (Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) was dismissed on 27 March 2025 by Inspector Knight A, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The effect of the siting and appearance of the proposed installation on the character and appearance of the area, including the High Weald National Landscape, and the setting of the Benenden Conservation Area and nearby listed buildings.
the installation of a 20m Monopole mast accommodating 6 no. antenna, ancillary radio equipment, 2 no 300mm dishes, and 2 no. equipment cabinets and 1 no GPS Module in fenced compound along with ancillary development thereto
- Authority
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- telecoms · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Knight A
- Postcode
- TN17 4EJ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the siting and appearance of the proposed installation on the character and appearance of the area, including the High Weald National Landscape, and the setting of the Benenden Conservation Area and nearby listed buildings
- If any harm would occur, whether this is outweighed by the need for the installation to be sited as proposed taking into account any suitable alternatives
What decided it
The public benefits of improved mobile coverage were outweighed by the substantial harm to the character and appearance of the High Weald National Landscape and the setting of designated heritage assets, combined with insufficient evidence that realistic alternative sites had been properly explored.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy EN1Policy EN5Policy EN20Core Policy 4Core Policy 14
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 Tunbridge Wells
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
- Dismissed20 October 20266012604Manchester House The Heath, Horsmonden, TN12 8HT
- Dismissed21 September 202660052291 The Down Cottages, Lamberhurst Down, Lamberhurst, TN3 8EX
- Dismissed21 September 202660052251 The Down Cottages, Lamberhurst Down, Lamberhurst, TN3 8EX
- Allowed3 September 20266012775Flat 3, 49 Madeira Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5SY
- Dismissed28 August 202660062602 Ashfield Cottages, Horns Hill, Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, TN18 4XD
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.