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Garage Site St Martin Ashurst Road Ashurst Tunbridge Wells Kent

25/02945/FULLFull ApplicationRefused
Full

Refused on 5 February 2026

Council decision: Application RefusedDelegated (officer decision)4 reasons for refusal

Approximate site (title boundary)
Boundary © HM Land Registry, © Ordnance Survey · details

This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063. Conditions of use.

Proposal

Demolition of 2no double garages & workshop; Erection of a single storey dwelling

Received
10 December 2025
Decision level
Delegated (officer decision)
Ward
Rusthall And Speldhurst
Agent
REAL design
  1. Received10 Dec
  2. Validated11 Dec
  3. Consult.
  4. Target
  5. Decided5 Feb

Decided in 56 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is a full planning application for demolition at Garage Site St Martin Ashurst Road Ashurst Tunbridge Wells Kent. Tunbridge Wells has handled 1,962 applications of this type. This one was decided in 57 days. The site is in a conservation area, with 11 listed buildings nearby. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 62 applications across Rusthall And Speldhurst.

96% of full applications at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 8 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.Planning something similar? See what gets approved on your street

Why it was refused

  1. The proposed development would result in the loss of a building which has the potential to contribute positively towards the rural economy, and insufficient justification and evidence has been provided to show that alternative uses have been explored or such uses would be unviable. It is therefore contrary to Policy ED2 of the Tunbridge Wells Local Plan 2025 and the National Planning Policy Framework 2024 (amended 2025).
  2. The proposal would introduce an unjustified new residential use into an unsustainable rural location, outside the Limits to Built Development as defined within the Tunbridge Wells Borough Local Plan 2025, which indicate the most sustainable areas for new housing development. The proposal therefore fails to comply with the National Planning Policy Framework 2024 (amended 2025) and Policy STR1 of the Tunbridge Wells Borough Local Plan 2025.
  3. The proposed residential use of the site and the associated curtilage would adversely affect the adjacent area of Ancient Woodland, which would result in harm towards its overall value. The development is therefore contrary to Policies STR8, EN1, EN12 & EN13 of the Tunbridge Wells Local Plan 2025 and chapter 15 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2024 (amended 2025).
  4. The application site lies within the Ashdown Forest 7km Habitat Regulation Assessment zone. The development will have a likely significant effect on the qualifying features of the European Site(s) (habitats site(s) through increased recreational pressure when considered either alone or in combination with other plans and projects. At present, the harm could not be adequately mitigated and the proposal would therefore fail to comply with the National Planning Policy Framework 2024 (amended 2025) and Policy EN11 of the Tunbridge Wells Local Plan 2025.

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Application type
Full Application
Scale / size
Small
Parish
Speldhurst Parish Council

Planning application dates

Date validated
11 December 2025
Consultation expiry
2 February 2026

Applicant and agent

Agent
REAL design
Agent address
85 High Street Tunbridge Wells TN1 1XP

Publicity

Last advertised
26 December 2025
Advertisement expiry
16 January 2026
Site notice start
12 January 2026
Site notice end
2 February 2026

Additional information

Planning Portal ID
PP-14531171
Documents
19
Constraints
22

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.

  • Listed building: Grade II: St MartinOn or next to this site
  • Green belt: Tunbridge Wells
  • National Landscape (AONB): High Weald
  • Ancient woodlandPart of the site
  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)

Not published by this council, so not checked: conservation areas, Article 4 directions and tree preservation orders. Ask the council if these matter.

Also checked, none recorded (17)

flood storage areas, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Tunbridge Wells

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