The Cloth Hall, Water Lane, Smarden, ASHFORD, Kent, TN27 8QB

Authority: Ashford Borough Council
Appeal type: other · Listed Building Consent & Conservation Area Consent Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: James A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the appeal scheme preserves a Grade II* listed building, known as 'The Cloth Hall' and any features of special architectural or historic interest that it possesses

What decided it

The harm to the significance of the Grade II* listed building, assessed as less than substantial but at the lower end of the scale, was not outweighed by the public benefits of the appeal scheme, as there was no clear and convincing justification that the appeal scheme was necessary to secure the asset's optimum viable use.

Framework references: 215

Plan policies cited: Policy SP1, Policy SP6, Policy EN14

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.

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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.
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