Land at Glenrafon, Marley Road, Harrietsham, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 1AU

a four bed house

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Knight A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, including the Kent Downs National Landscape

What decided it

The proposed development would cause significant harm to the character and appearance of the area and the Kent Downs National Landscape, which provides a strong reason for refusal that outweighs the benefits of housing delivery despite the Council's shortfall in housing land supply.

The benefits of housing delivery and self-build provision, which carry significant weight but are tempered by the modest scale, are greatly outweighed by the harm caused to the character and appearance of the area, including the National Landscape.

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: Policy LPRSP9, Policy LPRSP15, Policy LPRQD4

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.