122 King George Road, CHATHAM, ME5 0PS

122 King George Road, CHATHAM, ME5 0PS — Medway Council — Appeal Decision Site visit made on 30 November 2021 by G Pannell BSc (Hons) MA MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 20th December 2021 Appeal Ref: APP/A2280/W/21/3270177 122 King George Road, CHATHAM, ME5 0PS • The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a refusal to grant planning permission. • The appeal is made by Mr & Mrs Keith against the decision of Medway Council. • The application Ref MC/20/2984, dated 27 November 2020, was refused by notice dated 25 January 2021. • The development proposed is change of use to amenity land for vehicle crossover, resurfacing existing front garden to provide hard standing and removal of wall to create a new entrance. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Preliminary Matters 2. Following the Council’s decision, the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) was revised on 20 July 2021. The Council and appellant have had an opportunity to comment on the implications of these changes through their submissions. Main Issue 3. The main issue is the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area. Reasons 4. King George Road is a residential spine road which provides access to the wider estate.

122 King George Road, CHATHAM, ME5 0PS — Medway Council — Appeal Decision No 122 is set back from the road and to the front of the site is a wide grass verge, which also includes a number of trees. The existing landscaping and open wide verge provides a pleasant soft landscaped and open character which provides relief from the built up environment of the estate. 5. Parking for dwellings in King George Road is a mix of on-street parking or parking provided on plot within frontages. During my site visit it was evident from the lack of available space that there was a high demand for parking along King George Road, and it was possible to see the damage arising from parking on adjacent verges. 6. The appeal proposal would result in the introduction of a vehicular access across the existing verge and the removal of the existing low boundary wall in order to provide an off road parking space. This would result in the loss of part of the existing grass verge and the introduction of hard surfacing. https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

122 King George Road, CHATHAM, ME5 0PS — Medway Council — Appeal Decision Appeal Decision APP/A2280/W/21/3270177 7. This space currently fulfils a useful purpose in terms of contributing positively to the overall character and landscaped appearance of the area. I consider that the loss of the existing verge would lead to an erosion of the open character of the area. 8. The appellant makes reference to other neighbouring houses having carried out similar development, however this example was at the end of the triangular shaped verge. Furthermore, the existence of this example adds to my concerns and I consider the cumulative erosion of the open space provided by the existing verges would be detrimental to the overall character and appearance of the area. 9. I conclude that the development would harm the character and appearance of the area and conflict with Policy BNE1 of the Medway Local Plan 2003 which requires development to be appropriate in relation to the character and appearance of the built and natural environment. Other matters 10.

122 King George Road, CHATHAM, ME5 0PS — Medway Council — Appeal Decision I have taken into account the associated benefits arising from the proposed development, in that it would result in the provision of off road parking, in an area of high demand and that it would be possible for the appellant to install an electric charging point. However, whilst a material consideration, these benefits would not be sufficient to outweigh the harm I have identified to the character and appearance of the area, and the resulting conflict with the development plan. 11. There is also reference to the conduct and advice of the Council and its officers during the planning application process and a separate highway application for a vehicle crossing. However, these are not matters for my deliberation in the context of a planning appeal. Conclusion 12. The proposal would therefore conflict with the development plan and there are no other considerations, including the Framework and its presumption in favour of sustainable development, that outweigh this conflict. For the reasons outlined above, I conclude that the appeal should be dismissed.

122 King George Road, CHATHAM, ME5 0PS — Medway Council — G Pannell INSPECTOR https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2