DevAssist: Inspector Approves 650 Homes on Greenfield Site Despite Countryside Loss

A planning inspector has granted outline permission for up to 650 new homes on undeveloped greenfield land near Minster-on-Sea, concluding that the benefits of new housing in an area with insufficient land supply outweighed the negative impact on the local countryside.

Background and Appeal

The proposal, submitted by MLN Land and Properties to Swale Borough Council in May 2022, includes housing, a community hub, and green infrastructure on a 31-hectare site on the Isle of Sheppey. After the council failed to issue a decision within the required timeframe, the applicant appealed to the Planning Inspectorate.

In a decision issued on 24 June 2025, Inspector G D Jones confirmed that both parties had signed a statement of common ground earlier in the year, acknowledging that planning permission likely would have been granted if the appeal had not been submitted.

Planning Considerations

Key concerns in the appeal included the development’s impact on landscape character, biodiversity, traffic and infrastructure, and whether these harms were outweighed by the urgent need for housing.

The site, located outside the defined settlement boundaries, was recognised as part of the open countryside. Although it does not carry a specific landscape designation, the inspector noted its setting as part of a wider area of pleasant rural land. The loss of this open space was deemed harmful and inconsistent with local character.

In terms of biodiversity, the scale and location of the scheme triggered concerns, particularly around insufficient on-site mitigation. However, a financial contribution toward the Thames, Medway and Swale Estuaries Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) Strategy was proposed to address potential impacts on protected bird habitats in the nearby Special Protection Area (SPA). With this mitigation in place, the ecological effects were judged to be acceptable.

Highway safety and congestion were also reviewed, but the inspector found no substantial evidence of harm that could not be addressed through mitigation. Likewise, the development was not expected to place unacceptable strain on infrastructure or local services.

Housing Need and Final Decision

A significant factor in the inspector’s decision was Swale’s inability to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites. At the time, the council could only demonstrate a 4.1-year supply, triggering the National Planning Policy Framework’s presumption in favour of sustainable development – often referred to as the “tilted balance”.

Despite the acknowledged conflict with local countryside protection policies, the inspector concluded that the provision of new housing, including between 25% and 41.5% affordable homes, depending on funding, carried “considerable weight”. These benefits were found to outweigh the site-specific harms.

Ultimately, the inspector ruled that the adverse effects of the scheme did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh its benefits when considered against national planning policy, and the appeal was allowed.

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