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Dismissed8 July 20253352427

Land South of M20, Church Lane, Aldington, Kent, TN25 7EH

Planning appeal 3352427 at Land South of M20, Church Lane, Aldington, Kent, TN25 7EH (Ashford Borough Council) was dismissed on 8 July 2025 by Inspector Griffiths P, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, encompassing questions around public rights of way (the landscape and visual impact issue).

installation of a solar farm comprising ground mounted solar panels; access tracks; inverter/transformers; substation; storage, spare parts and welfare cabins; underground cables and conduits; perimeter fence; CCTV equipment; temporary construction compounds; and associated infrastructure and planting scheme

Authority
Ashford Borough Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Inquiry
Development
utilities-energy · Other Major Developments
Inspector
Griffiths P

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, encompassing questions around public rights of way (the landscape and visual impact issue)
  • The effect of the proposal on the setting and thereby the significance of a series of heritage assets, both designated and non-designated (the heritage issue)
  • The acceptability, or otherwise, of the proposal having regard to the development plan and national policy, the benefits of the proposal, and the need for a 'planning balance'

What decided it

The public benefits of the scheme did not outweigh the less than substantial harm caused to the significance of the Grade I and Grade II* listed Church of St Martin and Court Lodge and other nearby heritage assets.

The substantial benefits of renewable energy generation, biodiversity net gain and economic benefits were outweighed by the less than substantial harm to the significance of the Church of St Martin, Court Lodge, the Aldington Conservation Area and the Hogben Farmhouse complex, tipping the balance against the proposal.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
LP Policy ENV10LP Policy ENV13LP Policy ENV3aLP Policy ENV3LP Policy ENV5NP Policy AB10NP Policy AB11NP Policy AB4
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 212Paragraph 213Paragraph 215

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 applied

The decision letter

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More decisions in Ashford Borough Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025

  1. Dismissed15 July 20266006719
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  2. Allowed9 April 20263368725
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  3. Allowed8 December 20253358518
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  4. Dismissed11 June 20253358853
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  5. Allowed4 November 20243345453
    Chilmington Green, Land to West of Chilmington Green Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3DL

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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.