Village confines exercise

When planning officers consider a planning application in a rural area one of the considerations is whether the application is inside or outside the existing built area of  a village. At present Ashford Borough Council (ABC) rely on a written definition.   This has been largely unchanged through several recent local plans . In the Ashford 2030 Plan it is as follows :

“the limits of continuous and contiguous development forming the existing built-up area of the settlement , excluding any curtilage beyond the built footprint of the buildings on the site ( eg garden areas )”

As part of this 2030 Plan ABC are making the definition clearer by adding a village confines map for all the settlements  that have been listed in the Local Plan . This includes Smeeth and Brabourne Lees which are listed in policy HOU3a.

Local knowledge will inform the map interpretation of “continuous and contiguous development.”  The last point about gardens in the written definition means that map line will not include all gardens.

ABC has asked the Parish Council  to comment on the  map that the planners  have drawn as their interpretation of the written definition, and the Parish Council welcomes residents’ views.

The map is shown below.  Please let councillors or the Clerk have any comments by the end of January, these will be taken into account when the Parish Council, liaising with Brabourne Parish Council, submits its revised version.

brabournelees_smeeth