Land to the rear of Sarre House, Canterbury Road, Sarre, BIRCHINGTON, CT7 0JY

Land to the rear of Sarre House, Canterbury Road, Sarre, BIRCHINGTON, CT7 0JY — Thanet District Council — Appeal Decision Site visit made on 22 March 2023 by Jonathan Bore MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 4 April 2023 Appeal Ref: APP/Z2260/W/21/3288487 Land to the rear of Sarre House, Canterbury Road, Sarre, Birchington, CT7 0JY • 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 Kevin Redshaw against the decision of Thanet District Council. • The application Ref F/TH/20/0573, dated 1 May 2020, was refused by notice dated 7 September 2021. • The development proposed is a new two bedroomed bungalow. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Main Issue 2. The main issue in this case is the effect of the proposed bungalow on the character and appearance of the locality. Reasons 3. The site of the proposed bungalow is currently a paddock just outside the village boundary in an area defined as countryside by the Thanet Local Plan (2020). Local Plan Policy SP24 resists most forms of development in such areas, but the policy is out of date having regard to paragraph 11 of the National Planning Policy Framework, because there is less than 5 years’ supply of deliverable housing land in the district.

Land to the rear of Sarre House, Canterbury Road, Sarre, BIRCHINGTON, CT7 0JY — Thanet District Council — Appeal Decision Changes in national planning policy have been consulted upon, but at the time of this decision, national policy remains as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework of 2021. 4. The site is near a scatter of other buildings and is closely related to the village in terms of character and location. Its nature is influenced by the cottages and domestic outbuildings to the south east and south west; it is well-enclosed and clearly defined; and it has little inherent importance as open land, either as an open asset for the village or as open farmed countryside, from which it is clearly separate. In these circumstances, therefore, the conflict with Policy SP4 does not in itself provide a strong reason to resist a single dwelling on this site. 5. However, the proposed bungalow would be out of keeping with its surroundings. With its simple long oblong plan form, timber cladding, aluminium windows and very shallow-pitched sedum roof, it would pay insufficient regard to the form of other buildings in Sarre, which are generally of traditional forms using brick, tile and slate, with conventionally pitched roofs and varied plan forms. The proposed bungalow would be visible from Sarre https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

Land to the rear of Sarre House, Canterbury Road, Sarre, BIRCHINGTON, CT7 0JY — Thanet District Council — Appeal Decision Appeal Decision APP/Z2260/W/21/3288487 Conservation Area, from the A28 and from the neighbouring footpath and would appear incongruous in its surroundings. It would detract from the character and appearance of the locality, contrary to Local Plan Policy QD02 which seeks high quality design and aims to promote or reinforce the local character of the area. The suggestion that the building would be environmentally friendly does not outweigh this conclusion; this objective can be achieved through other means. The harm from the scheme would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. Other Matters 6. No planning obligation has been produced to facilitate a contribution towards measures to mitigate the impact of increased recreational pressure on the Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Special Protection Area. In addition, there has been no ecological appraisal of the site, in the absence of which the scheme has the potential for adverse ecological impacts contrary to Local Plan Policy SP30. Moreover, the handling of foul drainage has not been satisfactorily resolved, contrary to Local Plan Policy SE01. These all add to the objections to the scheme. Conclusion 7.

Land to the rear of Sarre House, Canterbury Road, Sarre, BIRCHINGTON, CT7 0JY — Thanet District Council — Appeal Decision I have considered all the other matters raised, but they do not alter the balance of my conclusions. For the reasons given above I dismiss the appeal.

Land to the rear of Sarre House, Canterbury Road, Sarre, BIRCHINGTON, CT7 0JY — Thanet District Council — Jonathan Bore INSPECTOR https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2