®Planning appeal decision
Bean Cottage Shellbank Lane, Bean, Dartford, Kent, DA2 8AX
Planning appeal 3359417 at Bean Cottage Shellbank Lane, Bean, Dartford, Kent, DA2 8AX (Dartford Borough Council) was allowed on 13 May 2025 by Inspector Hall C, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies.
for the demolition of the existing detached dwelling and outbuildings and the erection of a replacement dwelling and associated works
- Authority
- Dartford Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Hall C
- Postcode
- DA2 8AX
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
- the effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
- whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal
What decided it
The fallback position of permitted development rights would result in substantially greater harm to Green Belt openness than the appeal proposal, thereby establishing very special circumstances to justify the inappropriate development.
The harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and the considerable adverse impact on openness were clearly outweighed by the other consideration that the proposal would result in less harm to openness than the implementable fallback position under permitted development rights.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy M12 of the Dartford Local Plan to 2037
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 154Paragraph 143Paragraph 155Paragraph 110Paragraph 115Paragraph 156Paragraph 157
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 Dartford Borough Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
- Allowed27 October 2026601395825 Main Road, Longfield, DA3 7QT
- Dismissed18 September 20266010288St Albans House, 98 East Hill, Dartford, DA1 1SB
- Dismissed4 September 20266008745Old Bean Cottage Shellbank Lane Bean, Kent, DA2 8AX
- Allowed9 July 20266005996Southfort Stables, Clement Street, Swanley, BR8 7PQ
- Dismissed8 June 20266006013Mill House, Station Road, Southfleet, DA13 9PA
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.