A site close to Sole Street station near Meopham must be cleared of storage containers after an appeal against enforcement action was dismissed by a planning inspector.
Following complaints received in 2020, council officers confirmed the Norbond site to the west of Sole Street station had metal containers stationed at the site which were being used for self-storage, and for which planning permission had not been sought or granted prior to the change of use occurring.
The land had also been used for the storage and distribution of scaffolding, and the operation of a construction business and builders’ yard.
Following the refusal of a retrospective planning application for change of use of the land, the council served an enforcement notice in September 2024.
On 18 August, the Planning Inspectorate upheld that enforcement notice. Under the terms of the notice, the site must be cleared by 18 February.
Welcoming the decision, Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox, Gravesham Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Business Development, said: “This was a blatant breach of planning regulations, turning a vacant site into an industrial operation without permission.
“We will always take action in cases such as these and pursue them using all the legal powers we have, and I am delighted the Planning Inspectorate has supported us in this instance.
“Our enforcement officers will be visiting the site to ensure the notice is complied with by the February 2027 deadline.”