Land North of Oakenden Farm, Oakenden Lane, Chiddingstone Hoath TN8 7DE
Surfacing of existing farm track to serve agricultural barn.
Application refused. The access track would represent an erosion of the scenic, tranquil and rural
character of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The materials
used for the track would result in an over-urbanisation of the rural character of
the area and would fail to conserve and enhance the Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. The proposal would fail to comply with policies EN1 and EN5 of the
Sevenoaks Allocation and Development Management Plan, Policies SP1 and LO8
of the Sevenoaks Core Strategy, paragraph 176 of the National Planning Policy
Framework and the objectives of the High Weald AONB Management Plan 2019-
2024, OQ3 and OQ4.
In this instance the principle of an improved track is not disputed. However, the manner in which it has been designed and formed does not respond to the path and fails to conserve the AONB landscape.