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Swanley shopping centre development likely to go ahead after Sevenoaks council backs down

Developers have been given the green light to push forward with plans to demolish a large section of a shopping centre and build seven tower blocks in its place.

Sevenoaks council rejected U+I’s proposal for Swanley Square Shopping Centre, lodged last August, but the developer appealed and now the authority has “reluctantly” decided not to contest the move citing new government planning policies.

The scheme will create 303 new homes and 4,318 square metres of commercial and retail space in blocks of three to 11 storeys in height.

Swanley Square Shopping Centre
Swanley Square Shopping Centre

Within its submission, the landowner accepted the towers could block natural sunlight to some nearby homes.

The council’s development control committee had concerns about car parking arrangements, the height, scale and bulk of the proposals, believing they were out-of-keeping with the area, and that no affordable housing was proposed, refusing the application at its meeting last November.

In April U+I appealed to the government’s Planning Inspector against the council’s decision.

But in July the government changed national planning policy, putting a greater emphasis on the delivery of homes and making “the best use of land”.

The knock on effect of this was development intensity increased and reasons such as ‘lack of light’ have become harder to use as reasons for rejection.

The council sought external legal advice and it was told it would no longer be wise to contest the appeal and if it did so, it could have acted unreasonably

If this was judged to be the case the council could be liable for significant costs that would be payable to the landowner.

The council’s chairman of the development control committee Cllr Gary Williamson said: “The committee refused this application as we had serious concerns about the impact on neighbours and the wider town.

“It is genuinely frustrating and we feel strongly we had made the right local decision..." - Cllr Gary Williamson, Sevenoaks District Council

“But landowners can appeal to the Bristol-based Planning Inspectorate and thanks in part to recent changes to national planning policy, it became clear it would no longer be right to contest the appeal.

“It is genuinely frustrating and we feel strongly we had made the right local decision.

“But the final say would have been taken out of our hands hundreds of miles away from Swanley and if our decision was overturned, local tax payers could have been landed with a substantial bill.”

The council is now in talks with the Planning Inspector and the landowner about what should happen next.

Based on the council's decision it would appear unlikely the inspector would have grounds to reject U+I's appeal.

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