Land North West Of Boarley Lane, Sandling, ME14 3BU

permission in principle application for the erection of up to 9 No. dwellings

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential
Postcode: ME14 3BU

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the site is a suitable location for housing in terms of its location, the proposed land use and the amount of development, paying particular regard to:
its effect on the character and appearance of the surrounding area, including the Kent Downs National Landscape
the Council's spatial strategy and its accessibility to local facilities and services

What decided it

The likelihood that the maximum 9 dwellings could not be accommodated without significant harm to the character and appearance of the area.

the considerable benefits of housing delivery and other limited benefits were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the harm to character and appearance, disengaging the presumption in favour of sustainable development

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: Policy LPRSP9, Policy LPRSP9(2), Policy LPRSP9(4), Policy LPRSP9(5), Policy LPRSP15, Policy LPRSS1, Policy LPRSP10, Policy LPRSP10(5)

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.