The Area 1 Planning Committee of Tonbridge and Malling Council met on 4 September 2025 to discuss a planning application for Shipbourne Road, and to note updates on planning appeals. Councillor Mark Hood, Chair of Area 1 Planning Committee, was scheduled to chair the meeting. The meeting was scheduled to include a discussion of excluding the press and public from the meeting for any items that would disclose exempt information.

TM/25/00164/PA - 335 Shipbourne Road, Tonbridge

The committee was scheduled to consider planning permission to amalgamate three existing planning consents, and a minor amendment, into one single planning permission for 335 Shipbourne Road. The application requests permission for the:

Erection of 2 pairs of semi-detached 4 bed dwellings and three detached 4 bed dwellings to the rear.

Councillor Adem Mehmet, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Tonbridge Regeneration, called the application to committee to:

• consider the validity of the application having regard to Hillside principles
• determine the effect of the development on the adjacent protected tree in the absence of a tree survey
• assess the effect of the amenity of neighbouring properties including any overshadowing, overbearing or enclosing effects
• consider whether the proposal represents high quality design
• determine whether the layout would function well in the absence of a transport note, tracking plans, and the potential for cars reversing back along the central access road

The planning history for the site includes the approval of application 22/02872/FL in February 2023, for the erection of 2 pairs of semi-detached 4 bed dwellings and one pair of detached 4 bed dwellings to the rear with two car ports, which was itself an amalgamation of three existing planning consents.

Ten letters of objection were received from neighbours, raising concerns about overdevelopment, small rear gardens, impacts upon the character of the area, protected trees, overlooking, loss of privacy, that the development would be overbearing, noise and light pollution, flood risk and drainage concerns, unethical behaviour of the applicant, and highway and access concerns.

The report pack included a recommendation to approve the application subject to conditions and the signing of a legal agreement to secure off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) credits¹.

Planning Appeals, Public Inquiries and Hearings

The committee was scheduled to note an update in respect of planning appeals, public inquiries and hearings held since the last meeting. The Area 1 Appeal Decisions Report included details of two appeals that were allowed:

• 113 High Street Tonbridge - appeal against refusal of loft conversion to create 2 x 2 bedroom apartments
• 111 Douglas Road Tonbridge - appeal against refusal of a two storey side extension to create a two bedroom dwelling