Issue details

This application seeks planning permission for the erection of a two-storey detached dwelling with basement within the grounds of another property, known as ‘Shepway’. The site is located outside of any established settlement boundary within the open countryside and is also within a designated Special Landscape Area and within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Given that the dwelling would be set away from local amenities, without easy access to sustainable transport modes, the site is considered to be unsuitable and an unsustainable location for a new dwelling as future occupiers would be reliant on private motor vehicle use to carry out day to day activities. In addition, the erection of a two-storey dwelling in this location would result in the erosion of the rural character of the area, detracting from the tranquil beauty of the wider Special Landscape Area and Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are no public benefits to the application that would outweigh these concerns and on balance it is considered that the scheme would be unacceptable with regard to local and national planning policy. The application is therefore recommended for refusal.