Land South of Howland Road, Marden, Kent, TN12 9EP

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal on the rural character and appearance of the area
• The effect of the proposal on highway safety in the area
• Whether the site is an accessible location for the proposal having regard to local and national planning policy, and the accessibility of the site to services, employment opportunities and facilities
• The effect of the proposal on heritage assets with particular regard to the setting of five listed buildings, The Old House; Pastures End & Poachers Keep; Bridgehurst Farmhouse; Stone Pit Farmhouse; and Stone Pit Barn
• The effect of the proposal on protected species and biodiversity net gain (BNG)

What decided it

The combination of unacceptable highway safety risks, unsuitability of the location due to car-dependency, insufficient ecological survey data for protected species, and significant harm to rural character and heritage setting collectively outweighed the substantial benefits of affordable housing delivery.

The significant benefits of affordable housing delivery and local economic benefits were outweighed by the significant harm to rural character and appearance, highway safety, site accessibility, heritage assets, and unresolved biodiversity impacts.