- Decision
- allowed, 24 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: C Shearing
- Authority
- Bromley (London)
- Appeal reference
- 6007340
- Application reference
- 25/04474/FPA
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Retention of hard surface for vehicles and farming equipment, access and disabled access around an existing agricultural barn (Appeal B; Appeal A 6007338 is the barn itself)
- Site context
- green belt, open countryside
- Green Belt
- Yes (grey belt not argued)
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- GB7(1)(f)(i), S3(1)(c)
- Development plan policies
- Bromley Local Plan 2019 Policy 49, London Plan 2021 G2
- Main issues
- whether inappropriate development in the Green Belt
Summary
Retrospective hard surfacing around a sheep barn at Sky Farm, Knockholt, in the Bromley Green Belt, decided in one letter with the barn itself (Appeal A 6007338). The inspector treated the surfacing as an engineering operation under GB7(1)(f), found that it minimised the impact on openness and did not conflict with the purposes, and allowed it without a VSC case. Both appeals were approved under S3(1)(c).
Issues and findings
- Transition. "Both main parties were invited to comment on the implications of that change and those responses have been taken into account" (DL ¶7).
- Engineering operation, GB7(1)(f): PASS. "the hard surfacing preserves the openness of the Green Belt and together these factors successfully minimise the impact on openness. For similar reasons, I do not find conflict with the Green Belt purposes" (DL ¶18).
- Need. "it is not necessary to establish whether there is an identified need or operational requirement for the hard surfacing" (DL ¶18). The letter does not discuss the closing words of GB7(1)(f)(i), which ask whether the listed forms are required in a Green Belt location.
- S3(1)(c). "development proposals that accord with both an up to date development plan and the decision-making policies in the Framework should be approved without delay, which has been found to be the case here" (DL ¶20).
- DM8. Intentional unauthorised development not shown (DL ¶21).
Planning balance
No balance: not inappropriate, and compliant with the plan, so S3(1)(c) applied (DL ¶19-20, ¶29).
What made the difference
The surfacing is tight to the barn and screened by tree belts, so the openness effect was very limited; vehicles on it were transient.
Transferable points
- Hard surfacing tight around an agricultural building can meet GB7(1)(f) where it reads as the building's base (DL ¶17-18).
- A rare express use of S3(1)(c) at appeal (DL ¶20).
- Unauthorised development counts against a scheme under DM8 only where intent is shown (DL ¶21).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7(1)(f)(i) | pass | engineering operation; surfacing wraps tightly round the barn, set back from views; impact on openness minimised and no conflict with purposes; inspector says no need to show need or operational requirement (DL 15-19); the (f)(i) qualifier about engineering operations being required in a Green Belt location is not discussed | |
| GB7(1)(a) | pass | Appeal A barn found to be for agriculture (sheep breeding), so not inappropriate (DL 9-14) | |
| S3(1)(c) | pass | accords with an up-to-date plan and the Framework, so approve without delay (DL 20) | |
| DM8 | neutral | no substantive evidence that the unauthorised development was intentional (DL 21) |
Key facts
- Both developments already carried out when visited (DL 6)
- Joint letter with Appeal A 6007338 (retention of agricultural barn, 25/04473/FPA); both allowed
- Costs applications by the appellant on both appeals are the subject of a separate decision (DL 3), not in the corpus
- Surface water drainage condition refused as unnecessary (DL 27)
- Parties invited to comment on the August 2026 Framework (DL 7)
Related decisions
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.