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Planning

Pluckley Parish Council's Plans Committee meets on the fourth Monday each month whenever there are planning applications for consideration that cannot wait until the full council meeting (on the second Monday of each month). Please see agendas and minutes on the minutes page.

Full details of all planning applications can be viewed either at the Ashford Borough Council Website or the UKPlanning website. While applications remain undecided all comments received may be found there.
Once a decision had been made, only the details of the application plus the decision are available via those sites. Full details of all comments, etc. will only be accessible by visiting Ashford Borough Council offices.

Pluckley Parish Council's views on recent planning applications may be found by viewing the relevant minute links.

Close boarded fences v picket fences

The Pluckley Design Statement considers close boarded fences, especially those bordering the highway to be inappropriate to a rural location, and to this end Pluckley Parish Council usually objects strongly to such structures.

There have been several cases recently when the Planning Inspectorate has upheld the views of the parish council, saying that these are alien dominating features, detrimental to both setting and visual amenities. The Planning Inspectorate has gone on to say that while there are similar, unattractive, suburban style fencing used elsewhere in the parish, this is not sufficient justification for allowing its detrimental harmful impact, which represents an alien and incongruous feature in a countryside location.
“To allow them would be to disregard the duties imposed by sections 16 and 66 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and the guidance in Planning Policy Guidance 15 Planning and the Historic Environment as reflected in Kent and Medway Structure Plan (SP) Policy QL8 and Policy CS1 of the emerging Local Development Framework Core Strategy Document (November 2006) (LDF-CSD). The proposal would also be contrary to the objectives of SP Policies SP1, QL1 and EN5, the Ashford Borough Local Plan Policies GP2, DP2, and EN27 and LDF-CSD Policy CS1 as they relate to, amongst other things, the quality of design and the character and appearance of the countryside.”