The George, Benover Road, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6EJ

Planning appeal 3354377 at The George, Benover Road, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6EJ (Maidstone Borough Council) was dismissed on 10 June 2025 by Inspector Perrins N, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether there are any planning policies, planning issues and/or matters raised in the representations that would justify refusal of the proposal.

change of use from ground floor Sui Generis (Public House) to Class E restaurant part retail facilities with ancillary Sui Generis use (Takeaway) without complying with conditions 2 and 6 attached to planning permission Ref: 23/502781/FULL

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: retail · Change of use
Inspector: Perrins N
Postcode: ME18 6EJ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether there are any planning policies, planning issues and/or matters raised in the representations that would justify refusal of the proposal

What decided it

The absence of a required Flood Risk Assessment for a development in Flood Zone 3, combined with unresolved concerns about whether the removal of the internal staircase increased flood risk to the residential accommodation above, meant the development could not be demonstrated to be safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: LPRSP14(C)LPRCD1LPRSP7LPRSP11(C)LPRSP14(B)LPRENV1LPRSP15LPRQD6LPRTRA4
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 170Paragraph 216

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.

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The decision letter

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More decisions in Maidstone Borough Council

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

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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.