Issue - meetings

21/501554/FULL - Woodside, Firs Lane, Hollingbourne, ME17 1XJ

Meeting: 23/09/2021 - Planning Committee (Item 121)

121 21/501554/FULL - DEMOLITION OF EXISTING DWELLING AND ERECTION OF 3 NO. DETACHED DWELLINGS - WOODSIDE, FIRS LANE, HOLLINGBOURNE, KENT pdf icon PDF 190 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Planning and Development.

 

In introducing the application, the Development Manager advised the Committee that:

 

·  Since publication of the agenda, a new letter of objection had been received reiterating some issues that had been addressed already in the report.  These could be summarised as follows:

 

  The plans that had been submitted with the application did not reflect the current position and were, therefore, inaccurate.

 

  A previous application for a development of three houses was rejected last year.  It was stated that “this inappropriate development of garden land would represent poor design and would neither maintain nor enhance local distinctiveness of the countryside and the Len Valley Landscape of Local Value”.

 

  The amended plans in terms of the withdrawal of the garages in place of parking spaces did not preclude these being built in the future.

 

  Previously documented concerns regarding the increase in traffic.

 

  The Forestry Commission had stated that although they had issued a restocking notice to replant 77 trees, to date, this had not been addressed.

 

  The plot was far more suited to two larger properties to be more in keeping with other dwellings in the lane.

 

·  He wished to correct paragraph 8.1 of the report where reference was made to the Council being able to demonstrate a 6.1-year housing land supply as of 1 April 2020.  At the meeting of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee held on 21 September 2021, it was reported that the Council had a 5.6-year housing land supply as of 1 April 2021 with no impact on the housing delivery test requirements.

 

·  He wished to reiterate that the Restocking Notice or any subsequent Enforcement Notice did not prevent Members from making a decision on the planning application.

 

Ms Giles, an objector, addressed the meeting in person.

 

In the absence of a representative of the Parish Council, and with the Chairman’s agreement, Ms Osborn-Howard, another objector, addressed the meeting in person.

 

Mr Court, agent for the applicant, addressed the meeting in person.

 

Councillor Garten (Visiting Member) addressed the meeting remotely.

 

Contrary to the recommendation of the Head of Planning and Development, the Committee agreed to refuse permission for the following reasons:

 

The development would consolidate sporadic and urbanising development and by virtue of its impact by day and night on the rural landscape would cause unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the area.  This inappropriate development of garden land would represent poor design and by virtue of Firs Lane projecting into the open countryside and the scale and mass of the proposed dwellings would have a disproportionate impact on the Len Valley Landscape of Local Value which fails to conserve or enhance this landscape character of importance contrary to policies SS1 and SP17 of the Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2017.

 

The Committee also gave delegated powers to the Head of Planning and Development to amend the wording of the reasons for refusal following a review to determine whether there is further harm to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 121