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Dismissed1 April 20266002778

Dalham Barn, Cooling Road, High Halstow, Kent, ME3 8SE

Planning appeal 6002778 at Dalham Barn, Cooling Road, High Halstow, Kent, ME3 8SE (Medway Council) was dismissed on 1 April 2026 by Inspector Francis L, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the site is a suitable location for the proposed dwelling having regard to the Council's strategy for the location of development and access to services and facilities.

retrospective application for a self-build dwelling following the approval of a Class Q application (with reference MC/23/2723)

Authority
Medway Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector
Francis L
Postcode
ME3 8SE

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • whether the site is a suitable location for the proposed dwelling having regard to the Council's strategy for the location of development and access to services and facilities
  • the effect of the proposal on ecology
  • the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the countryside

What decided it

The insufficient information regarding the presence of protected species (great crested newts) and the lack of adequate mitigation, combined with the conflict with the development plan's locational strategy, meant that the harm significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole under the tilted balance.

The benefits of delivering one new dwelling, self-build provision, economic benefits, energy efficiency features and re-use of barn materials were outweighed by the significant harm to protected species that could not be adequately mitigated and the conflict with the development plan's locational strategy, even accounting for the mitigating factor of the existing Class Q prior approval.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy S1Policy S2Policy BNE25Policy BNE37Policy BNE1Policy H004Policy H006
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 193Paragraph 232

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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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.