Rhode Farm, Seed Road, Otterden, ME9 0NN

described in the application form as ‘erection of an agricultural dwelling with associated garden and parking

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: Planning
Procedure: Hearing
Development: agricultural
Postcode: ME9 0NN

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether there is an essential need for a dwelling to accommodate a rural worker at the appeal site
the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the countryside, including the Kent Downs National Landscape

What decided it

The appellant failed to demonstrate an essential functional need for a rural worker to live permanently on the holding, meaning the proposal did not meet the exceptional circumstances required by Policy LPRCD3 or paragraph 84(a) of the Framework.

moderate positive weight from housing contribution, economic construction benefits and biodiversity net gain was outweighed by the significant weight attached to the harm arising from siting an unjustified dwelling in an unsustainable location, so the appeal was dismissed

Framework references: 84, 57, 189, 11

Plan policies cited: LPRCD3, LPRSP9, LPRSP15, 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.