# Uplands Farm, Meggett Lane, Alkham (agricultural barn prior approval)

- **Decision:** allowed, 18 September 2026
- **Decided by:** Planning Inspector: L Gardner
- **Authority:** Dover (South East)
- **Appeal reference:** 6009974
- **Application reference:** 26/00144
- **Procedure:** written-representations
- **Development:** Prior approval (GPDO Sch 2 Part 6 Class A) for a 30.5 m x 15.2 m lambing barn
- **Site context:** national-landscape, open-countryside
- **Green Belt:** no
- **Framework applied:** No Framework version cited
- **Determinative policies:** GPDO Sch 2 Pt 6 Class A
- **Main issues:** permitted development, siting design and appearance
- **Tags:** prior-approval, agricultural, national-landscape, tier-2

## Summary
Prior approval was allowed for a lambing barn on a 13 ha holding in the Kent Downs National Landscape. The inspector accepted evidence of an agricultural trade or business without accounts, and found the siting behind a dense roadside hedge acceptable (DL ¶9, ¶16-17).

## What made the difference
Persuasive non-financial evidence of an agricultural business (invoices, a grazing tenancy, stock seen on site) and DEFRA-based sizing (DL ¶8-11). The Framework was not relevant to this GPDO determination. The National Landscape duty was treated as satisfied by the finding of no harm (DL ¶18).

## Policy findings
- **N4: pass.** CRoW Act s85 "seek to further" duty considered; no harm to Kent Downs NL (DL 18)

## Key facts
- 13 ha holding recently bought; invoices for ewes, grazing tenancy and stewardship scheme accepted as evidence of trade or business despite no accounts (DL 7-9, 20)
- 400 m livestock restriction met by the lambing exception in D.1(3) (DL 12-13)

## Sources
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6009974
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/published-document/a70ef91f-4e38-48f5-bdf5-cc493749ab68

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Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/PINS-6009974.html

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