4 11 02777 Stables Bank Farm
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EASTERN AREA PLANNING COMMITTEE MONDAY 12 DECEMBER 2011 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF PLANNING SERVICES APPLICATION FOR CONSIDERATION APPLICANT REFERENCE LOCATION PROPOSAL CONTACT ADDRESS DATE VALID GRID REFERENCE DATE OF APPLICATION MR H TEACHER TW/11/02777 Stables Erection of a covered (Judith Norris Ltd Bank Farm sand school, formation Wordsworth House Sherenden Road of outdoor sand school, High Street TUDELEY manure barn and new Ticehurst CA stables within existing East Sussex barn. TN5 7BQ) 23/09/11 562782/145362 16/09/11 1.0 DESCRIPTION OF SITE 1.01 Bank Farm, on the western side of Sherenden Lane, is located to the east of Tudeley and just south of the Tonbridge to Paddock Wood railway line. Bank Farm appears on the 1870 OS map and forms part of the Hadlow Estate; this extends to about 1500 hectares of which 600 hectares are farmed in hand. Bank Farm itself is 90 hectares and was essentially an arable holding. The livery business was started in the redundant livestock buildings and operates as an equestrian business in partnership with the Hadlow Estate. 1.02 The application site is in the Low Weald, close to the Medway valley in Local Landscape Character Area 13 Paddock Wood/Five Oak Green Low Weald Farmland, in an area of intense arable farming rich in streams/ditches and wooded shaws. There are water courses and ponds to the west of the Farm associated with wooded shaws and a small woodland block that lies to the east of Sherenden Road is ancient woodland. The pattern of the wider landscape looks much as it did in 1870 but some shaws and hedgerows have been lost. Land immediately to the north of the farm complex has undergone most change in recent times with loss of orchard and internal division into separate paddocks. 1.03 In terms of planning policy and constraints, the application sites lies outside the Limits to Built Development and within the Green Belt (GB). The Oast and the Farmhouse to the south of it (within the blue land) are both Grade II Listed. There is a Public Right of Way which runs through the site (ref WT181). Sherenden Road is a designated Rural Lane. 1.04 The agent explains that the site is an active established livery – it presently provides 29 boxes with storage and tack which are located within five buildings as well as hay and bedding storage in two buildings and a wash down area in another. There is an indoor school which the agent states is undersized (18.2m x 24.5m). There is also an existing outdoor sand school/jump area measuring 20m x 60m. North of the railway line is an extensive area of toll rides. Some of the boxes (within buildings E and F) are used for „DIY‟ liveries whilst the others, situated within areas C and I, are used as serviced livery (full or assisted daily management under the supervision of the Yard Manager). 1.05 This application has been called in by Cllr Ransley as “the development provides additional employment opportunities in what is essentially a rural pursuit business already established in the green belt.” 2.0 PROPOSAL 2.01 This application comprises a number of different elements: Erection of an indoor sand school (the design of which has changed during the process of the application – see below). The construction of 12 stables within an existing building (currently used as a covered sand school) for the use of assisted liveries. The formation of an outdoor sand school. The erection of a manure barn with extension to hard standing. The diversion of a small section of PROW (which would be pursued under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 following the grant of planning permission). The regularisation of 4 additional stables, over and above the 25 permitted in previous planning applications. 2.02 Also, a further 4.4ha of grazing is proposed to meet the guidance of the British Horse Society, which advocates the ratio of partly stabled horses to grazing as one per 0.4 ha. The proposed plans by the applicant also involve some demolition: it is proposed to remove the easternmost 1950s hopper hut and a canopy on the hay store. The reason given for the demolition of the hopper hut block is to allow the re-alignment of an existing track to give access to the proposed outdoor sand school. The application is supported by a Statement about Bank Farm Livery and a Planning Statement (incorporating Design and Access). The latter has a number of appendices including a Landscape Statement, an Indicative landscape plan with a „Pasture, Woodland and Manure Plan‟ and some confidential financial information (which has been added to during the process of the application – see below). Indoor Sand School 2.03 This new building would measure 25m x 42.35m, giving an overall footprint of over 1050 square metres. It would be located next to (south/south-west of) the existing indoor sand school building, hay store and Dutch barn (used for stables). The curved roof would have a maximum height of ridge of 6m, approximately the same as the existing indoor sand school building. The drawings show that the new building would be set into the existing slope of the land by up to 1.8m on the southern side. In terms of materials it would comprise a steel frame clad with Yorkshire vertical „hit and miss‟ boarding to the walls (stained in natural finish) and an aluminium or similar standing seam roof finish. Construction of 12 loose boxes within existing building which currently houses an indoor sand school 2.04 No external alterations are proposed for the existing building. The site layout plan shows the proposed arrangements of the stables inside (which are intended to be full or assisted liveries). Manure barn with extension to hard standing 2.05 This new barn would be 56 square metres and would accommodate two muck trailers (7m x 8m). In addition ramped decking is proposed on the western side to provide easy wheelbarrow access from the existing track (measuring 2.6m x 8m). It would be open sided with a maximum height of 5.5m (not 5m as quoted in the application / on the plans) and constructed from timber poles with a corrugated curved metal roof. The agent has explained that the existing muck store is poorly located near the hopper hut (area not shown on the existing layout plan). Outdoor sand school 2.06 This new facility, which is proposed to be located behind / to the north-west of the two sets of hopper huts, would provide an area of 1230 square metres (figure quoted by agent). It would be more triangular in shape than a standard ménage - the three long sides would measure 40, 43 and 44m with the short/end side being only 15m. The land here is relatively flat and the finished works would have a silica sand finish. The sand school would be enclosed by a 1.2m high post and rail fence with a gate at the eastern end serviced from the re-aligned existing track. 2.07 The Planning Statement explains that this application results from the popularity of the livery yard and there is now a waiting list of horse owners. In support of the application the agent lists the following benefits: A soundly conceived estate diversification project which will generate income. Employment (one full time job and part time employment). Improved horse accommodation. Better teaching and schooling facilities. Extensive hacking and grazing on the Hadlow Estate. Better muck handling and rainwater harvesting. A facility that is well located close to centres of population in Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Paddock Wood. 3.0 RELEVANT HISTORY 3.01 TW/03/01512 – Proposed livery stables. Withdrawn. 3.02 TW/03/02103 – Livery stables and temporary mobile home. Appeal dismissed against non-determination. 3.03 TW/04/02310 – Change of use of redundant farm buildings and construction of 11 timber loose boxes to extend existing livery yard. Approved. 3.04 TW/04/02306 – Temporary stationing of mobile home to support equestrian business. Approved. 3.05 TW06/01971 – Conversion of redundant cowshed to dwelling. Approved. 3.06 TW/10/03141 – Erection of a covered sand school, formation of outdoor sand school, manure barn and new stables within existing barn. Refused. 3.07 The 2010 application above was refused for the following five reasons: (1) The application site falls within the Metropolitan Green Belt where there is a strong presumption against new development. It is considered that the erection of the indoor sand school building is inappropriate development within the Green Belt as it fails to meet the criteria set out in paragraph 3.4 of Planning Policy Guidance 2: Green Belts. In addition to it being harmful due to that definition, it would have a significant effect on openness by virtue of its scale, height and siting. The proposed conversion of the existing sand school building for a principal, and more intensive, use would also have a significant effect on openness due to the demands generated by twelve additional livery stables. The special circumstances have been put forward are insufficient to overcome the substantial weight given to the harm to Green Belts. The application is therefore contrary to Policy SP5 of The South East Plan 2009, Policy 2 of the Tunbridge Wells Borough Core Strategy 2010 and Policies MGB1 and LBD1 of the Tunbridge Wells Borough Local Plan 2006. (2) The application site lies within open countryside, outside the Limits to Built Development as defined by the Tunbridge Wells Borough Local Plan Proposals Map 2006.