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Allowed5 August 20253363346

211 High Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4BG

Planning appeal 3363346 at 211 High Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4BG (Medway Council) was allowed on 5 August 2025 by Inspector Hall C, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the vitality and viability of the town centre.

Change of use to arcade incorporating bingo (sui generis)

Authority
Medway Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector
Hall C
Postcode
ME4 4BG

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • the effect of the proposal on the vitality and viability of the town centre
  • the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the occupants of neighbouring properties having regard to noise and disturbance

What decided it

The real risk that the premises would remain vacant, combined with the proposal's ability to bring the property back into use and support the town centre's evening economy without harmful clustering of similar uses, outweighed the loss of retail use.

The benefits of bringing a long-vacant property back into use, supporting the evening economy and providing employment, outweighed the loss of retail use and the presence of other arcade establishments in the town centre.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy S5 of the Medway Local Plan May 2003Policy R15 of the Medway Local Plan May 2003Chatham Centre Design Code (2024) paragraphs 1.3, 1.11, 3.3, 3.3.6, 3.3.76 and page 67

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 Medway

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.

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.