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Planning appeal decision

Allowed5 October 20266008294

Land West of Lodge Road, Staplehurst, TN12 0RQ

Planning appeal 6008294 at Land West of Lodge Road, Staplehurst, TN12 0RQ (Maidstone Borough Council) was allowed on 5 October 2026, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would make appropriate provision for affordable housing and provide a suitable mix of housing tenures.

Hybrid Planning Application consisting of: Full application for the erection of 81no. residential dwellings, ancillary structures, new access road from Lodge Road, internal roads, car parking, landscaping and public open space, drainage features, and associated works. Outline application for the erection of a commercial unit of up to 1000sqm and associated access and parking (all matters reserved apart from access)

Authority
Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type
major · Planning
Procedure
Written
Development
residential
Postcode
TN12 0RQ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Whether the proposal would make appropriate provision for affordable housing and provide a suitable mix of housing tenures.

What decided it

The delivery of 81 homes on an allocated, sustainably located site outweighed the harm from the unviable provision of affordable housing, given the Council's housing land supply shortfall.

The harm from the lack of affordable housing and conflict with the development plan was outweighed by the benefits of 81 homes on an allocated site, biodiversity net gain, public open space, and economic benefits, such that the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits and the presumption in favour of sustainable development applied.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy LPRSA066Policy LPRSP10(B)Policy LPRSP10(A)Policy LPRSP13Policy LPRQD6
National Planning Policy Framework
Policy S4

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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More decisions in Maidstone Borough Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026

  1. Allowed18 June 20266004838
    3 Manor Close, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4BY
  2. Dismissed31 March 20263375683
    Land to the Rear of the Taj of Kent, Marden, Kent, TN12 9HS
  3. Allowed2 March 20263375644
    Plot 8, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3EN
  4. Allowed24 October 20253367625
    Merrymaids Farm, Couchman Green Lane, Staplehurst, Kent, TN12 0RR
  5. Dismissed22 August 20253361447
    Land At Riverdale, St Helens Lane, West Farleigh, Kent, ME15 0LB

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.