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Allowed22 July 20253362151

Gaskin Valley Farm, Lenham Road, Fairbourne Heath, Harrietsham, Kent, ME17 1NA

Planning appeal 3362151 at Gaskin Valley Farm, Lenham Road, Fairbourne Heath, Harrietsham, Kent, ME17 1NA (Maidstone Borough Council) was allowed on 22 July 2025 by Inspector Sylvester G, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether there is an essential need for a rural worker to live at or near their place of work in the countryside on the appeal site.

a permanent agricultural workers dwelling to serve the essential needs of the holding

Authority
Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
agricultural · Minor Dwellings
Inspector
Sylvester G
Postcode
ME17 1NA

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Whether there is an essential need for a rural worker to live at or near their place of work in the countryside on the appeal site
  • The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to its location in the countryside
  • The effect of the proposed development on highway safety
  • Whether the proposed development would provide adequate living conditions for future occupants with particular regard to noise and disturbance from the use of the shared access track
  • The effect of the proposed development on biodiversity and ecology

What decided it

The demonstrable essential need for a rural worker dwelling in the countryside, combined with the minor magnitude of adverse landscape impact and the existence of a fallback position, outweighed the conflict with policies protecting rural character.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy LPRCD3Policy LPRSP15Policy LPRQD4Policy LPRSP9Policy LPRSS1
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 84Paragraph 115Paragraph 116Paragraph 135Paragraph 187Paragraph 193

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 Maidstone Borough Council

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

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    Merrymaids Farm, Couchman Green Lane, Staplehurst, Kent, TN12 0RR

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.