Land at Vicarage Road, Yalding, ME18 6DS

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the land use and amount of the proposed development is acceptable, having regard to whether the proposal would preserve the setting of nearby Grade II listed buildings Wardes Moat and The Stables
• the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, including veteran trees
• the effect of the proposal on protected species

What decided it

The moderate less-than-substantial harm to the setting of the Grade II listed buildings and the likely loss or deterioration of veteran trees, neither of which could be justified by the public benefits of the scheme, meant that paragraph 11(d)(ii) of the Framework was not engaged and the proposal conflicted with the development plan.

The public benefits of housing delivery, self-build provision, local economic benefits and environmental benefits from planting were weighed against the moderate less-than-substantial harm to listed building settings and the likely loss or deterioration of veteran trees; the balance tipped decisively against the proposal because the heritage and irreplaceable habitat harms could not be overcome.