Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council | | Appeal Decision | | --- | --- | | S | ite visit made on 24 April 2025 | | b | y C Hall BSc MPhil MRTPI | | a | n Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State | | D | ecision date:13 May 2025 |

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council | | Appeal Decision | | --- | --- | | S | ite visit made on 24 April 2025 | | b | y C Hall BSc MPhil MRTPI | | a | n Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State | | D | ecision date:13 May 2025 | | | Appeal Ref: APP/U2235/W/25/3358886 | | --- | --- | | | Great Fowle Hall Oast House, Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6PW | | | • 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 Ould against the decision of Maidstone Borough Council. | | | • The application Ref. is 24/500602/FULL. | | | • The development proposed is for the replacement of the existing stable building to create a three | | | bedroom holiday let, together with associated car parking and amenity space. |

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council | | Appeal Ref: APP/U2235/W/25/3358886 | | --- | --- | | | Great Fowle Hall Oast House, Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6PW | | | • 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 Ould against the decision of Maidstone Borough Council. | | | • The application Ref. is 24/500602/FULL. | | | • The development proposed is for the replacement of the existing stable building to create a three | | | bedroom holiday let, together with associated car parking and amenity space. |

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Main Issues 2. The main issues is the the effect of the proposal having regard to a) flood risk; and b) the character and appearance of the local area. Reasons Flood risk 3. The appeal site consists of a stable block set in paddock land bordered by mature vegetation. It is accessed by a driveway from the west side of Darman Lane, which also served the main dwelling and several barns. The property is set in wider countryside of fields and woodland. 4. I understand that the site lies within Flood Zone 2, within which there is a medium probability of flooding from rivers or the sea. For development proposals in areas known to be at risk from flooding, the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) requires the application of the sequential test. The aim of the test is to steer new development to areas with the lowest risk of flooding from any source. Development should not be permitted if there are reasonably available sites appropriate for the proposed development in areas with a lower risk of flooding. Only if it is not possible for development to be located in areas with a lower risk of flooding should development be considered, subject to the exception test. 5.

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council This notwithstanding, my attention is drawn to an extant permission for the conversion of the existing stable block to a holiday let (Council ref. 24/501327/FULL). Despite some awkward phraseology within the appellants' submissions, I am satisfied that this scheme would be implemented were the appeal to be dismissed; it therefore forms a material consideration of significant weight. 6. In addition I have had regard to the Flood Risk Mitigation Statement, which outlines resilience and safety advantages over the current planning consent. These include an adjusted floor level, protective buffer, watertight construction, run-off management strategies, and flood warning and emergency planning measures. To my mind, such mitigation adds further weight in favour of the scheme. _________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council Appeal Decision APP/U2235/W/25/3358886 __________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. I appreciate the Council's detailed arguments on this matter, however bearing in mind my reasoning above and taking a common sense approach, I find that a generic response to flood risk would not be appropriate in this specific instance. There are overriding circumstances to demonstrate that a sequential test would serve no practical purpose. 8. I conclude that there is no substantiated objection on the grounds of flood risk. The scheme would comply with Policies LPRSP15 of the Maidstone Borough Council Local Plan Review 2024 (LPR) and the provisions of the Framework, which seek to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding. Character and appearance 9. The appeal site is located in a strong rural setting that is characterised by irregular fields, hedgerows, and woodland. These features add to an overall sense of tranquillity that can be experienced from the public highway over the relatively flat topography. In that context, it is within an area of landscape sensitivity. 10.

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council The proposal would replace a stable building that is of typical design and scale for this rural environment, being a low-level building of timber construction and with a uniform ridge line. Consequently, the eye is not drawn to it. 11. Conversely, the staggered roof design of the development would create a more prominent feature within the landscape. Although the modest extra footprint would be largely hidden from view in the courtyard, its deeper plan arrangement would facilitate the increased massing at a higher level and varying ridge heights, which would fail to reflect the simpler form of the existing building (also reproduced in the extant scheme), or maintain the historical architectural language of the rustic setting. 12. I note that permission has been granted for an agricultural building in the adjacent field, however the design of this is functional and commensurate with its use. As such it is not comparable to the proposal before me, which to my mind would be more domestic in its appearance, neither contributing to or enhancing the natural and local environment nor respecting the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside. 13.

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council I acknowledge that the development would be in the same location as the existing stables with a similar eaves height, that the proposed material finishes and planting would soften its appearance to an extent, that construction would create short-term employment and the holiday let would generate Council tax income in perpetuity. Staying guests would also support the local rural economy via consumer spending. However, these matters do not outweigh the harm I have identified above. 14. Consequently, I conclude that the proposal would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the local area. It would be contrary to Policies LPRSP9, LPRSP15 and LPRQD4 of the LPR which seek to protect the countryside and landscape. It would also be inconsistent with the objectives of of the Framework, insofar as the need to recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside is concerned. Conclusion 15. Based on the foregoing and having regard to all other matters, the appeal is dismissed.

Great Fowlehall Oast House Darman Lane, Paddock Wood, TONBRIDGE, TN12 6PW — Maidstone Borough Council — C Hall INSPECTOR _________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2