Houghton Farm House, Magpie Hall Road, Kingsnorth, TN26 1HE

1. 1.The proposal is contrary to Policies SP1, TRA3(b), ENV1 & EMP11 of the Ashford Local Plan 2030, and Central Government guidance contained in the NPPF and would therefore be contrary to interests of acknowledged planning importance for the following reasons: - (a) The proposed development constitutes a significant intensification of development at this remote site which has poor public transport links and is poorly related to the nearest village. Visitors to the hotel/lodges would be dependent upon their private motor vehicles to access any facilities and services (it being noted that the development provides little in the way of facilities) due to the distances involved/lack of pedestrian footways and road lighting in the vicinity of the site. The development constitutes an unsustainable development of the site with resultant environmental harm. (b) The proposed development due to cars entering/leaving the site (including the rear of the site) at different times of the night/day and the proximity/density of the lodges to adjoining neighbours and the associated noise and disturbance including that from outdoor socialising would be detrimental to the residential amenity of those neighbours. (c) The proposals do not provide adequate vehicle parking facilities within the site for the amount of hotel rooms, garden lodges and associated staff contrary to Policy TRA3b of the Ashford Local Plan 2030, which could lead to vehicles being parked on and/or stopping on the highway to the detriment of highway safety. The proposed development is likely to generate an increase in pedestrian traffic on a highway lacking adequate footways with consequential additional hazards to all users of the highway. Owing to the width of the access, an increase in vehicle movements to and from the site could lead to a conflict with vehicles only being able to access and egress the site one at a time, which will lead to an obstruction on the highway while vehicles wait to access again detrimental to highway Page 1 of 3 PA/2025/1731 safety. (d) The proposed development, by virtue of location and land use, would be unacceptable as the development does not propose mitigation against the further deterioration of the water quality of the Stodmarsh European designated sites contrary to policy ENV1 and the Habitat Regulations. The proposal would therefore be detrimental to matters of ecological interest. (e) In the absence of a countersigned District Level License Impact Assessment & Conservation Payment Certificate (IACPC), the Local Planning Authority cannot be sure that the necessary steps are being taken to mitigate for the impact of development on Great Crested Newts. The proposal would therefore be detrimental to matters of ecological interest.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

TN26 1HE

Application type

Full planning permission

Scale / size

Small

Parish

Kingsnorth

Date validated

7 October 2025

Consultation expiry

2 December 2025

Consultation end

2 December 2025

Application expires

2 December 2025

Statutory period

56 days

Planning Portal ID

PP-14333140

Documents

36