Grey Belt Win for Hadlow
The team at DHA has been at the heart of one of the first successful appeals on the grounds of Grey Belt in the country.
The Planning Inspectorate granted permission for DHA’s client – Dandara – to develop 57 new homes, a new children’s nursery and pre-school on former horticultural and nursery land on the edge of Hadlow in Kent, after Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council conceded that the site constituted Grey Belt land.
The scheme was originally refused by the Council principally on the grounds that it constituted inappropriate development in the Green Belt and encroachment into the countryside. However, since the appeal was submitted, the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been published, which introduced the principle of Grey Belt land within the Green Belt.
The Planning Inspector agreed that the site would constitute Grey Belt for the purposes of paragraph 155 of the NPPF and therefore would not be inappropriate development, and would comply with the NPPF’s Golden Rules, which constituted significant weight in favour of the grant of permission.
The Inspector also agreed that the development would have the ‘substantial’ benefit of contributing 57 dwellings (including affordable provision) towards the borough’s supply, and that the delivery of the new children’s nursery would be a ‘significant’ benefit.
This key decision provides an interesting precedent of how the new Green Belt and Grey Belt rules will be interpreted.
DHA provided the expert Planning Witness and worked closely with the client Dandara and the appeal team, which included Hashi Mohamed of Landmark Chambers, Define Landscape & Design and Turley on the issue of affordable housing.
Project Team
Alice is a Senior Planner at DHA working across a variety of projects.
Alice Day MSc
Senior Planner
Alice joined DHA in September 2022 after graduating from the University of East Anglia with a degree in Geography and International Development. After being at DHA for a year, Alice started her Masters in Town and Country Planning (Part Time) at London Southbank University, she is now entering into her second year and is beginning to embark on her dissertation project. Alice enjoys combining the practical elements she has learnt at DHA with the theory involved in the Masters course.
Alice is based in the Maidstone office and works alongside a number of different Directors and Associate Directors including David Harvey, Tim Spicer, John Collins and Matthew Garvey. Alice has contributed to a wide range of projects including commercial, energy and Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Alice's bubbly and outgoing character makes her enjoyable to work with for her clients and colleagues alike!