Planning success for 4 x houses in Ashford, Kent

We have secured planning approval for 4 x residential dwellings in Charing, a historical village in Ashford, Kent.
We are delighted with this approval which will enable the redevelopment of an underused site with 4 x high-quality residential dwellings in a sustainable location, and will go some way to responding to housing need which we have successfully demonstrated is particularly acute in this area.

Planning for dwellings outside the settlement boundary:

We secured outline planning permission for the scheme at appeal, and our robust arguments successfully supported the proposed development, including:

• meticulous analysis of Ashford’s 5 year housing land supply (5YHLS) which enabled our planning consultants to demonstrate that Ashford only have a  2.3 year supply;
• we provided evidence to show a worryingly persistent under delivery of housing by Ashford Borough Council for over 12 years;
• evidence that whilst the site is situated outside the built confines of the village, it is demonstrably sustainable, and that the mature border treatments will negate any impact on the wider countryside;
• Ashford’s inability to show a 5YHLS and the lack of an up to date Local Plan mean that many policies are out of date. In such cases, national policy supports a presumption in favour of sustainable development and we were able to identify how this scheme met these requirements.

Planning permission for reserved matters:

Our appeal win secured outline planning for the scheme and once the principle of development on site was secured, we set about obtaining planning permission for the reserved matters, which included the appearance, layout, scale, landscaping and access for the development.
As part of this process, our team of highly experienced planners analysed the site context. The eclectic mix of buildings inspired the final designs which will seek to draw inspiration from the historical narrative of the area. We were thrilled when the scheme was supported by the case officer and planning permission was granted.

Ashford Borough Council, their lack of a 5 Year Housing Land Supply and what this means for you:

Ashford Borough Council  do not have a 5-year land supply, which looks set to continue, certainly in the short-term. To remedy this, they are currently preparing a new Local Plan, which will represent the land which needs to be provided in the borough to accommodate new homes and jobs right up to 2030.  
If you have a site which you think might be suitable for development then now is the time to consider preparing a planning application or undertaking a local plan representation.  The key to success will be to demonstrate that the site constitutes sustainable development and supports the development needs of the area.

We specialise in promoting land into Local and Development plans and assist our developer clients in a number of ways; from undertaking detailed site assessments through to Council representations and planning applications for development.  

We are an experienced team when it comes to new housing and you can read more about our projects here: New Homes and Development.
Contact our team to see how best to move your scheme forward and find out how we can best assist you via enquiries@plainview.co.uk.  
 IMAGE SOURCE: INVENT ARCHITECTURE (2014)