Council issues green belt warning

With the site at Deer's Leap now fully cleared up, Sevenoaks District Council is sending out a warning that it will take all action necessary to ensure that the planning regulations in the green belt are enforced.

Development on the Deer's Leap site at Four Elms began, without permission, in March 2003 when a number of caravans moved onto the site. Fencing was erected and pathways were constructed.

The Council issued three enforcement notices against which the landowners, the Doran family, appealed. A retrospective planning application was also submitted for the development on the site, which was turned down by the Council in May 2003.

All the appeals were either withdrawn by the Doran family or dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate and the Council began clearing the site on 15 September. A total of 16.5 tons of rubbish and 940 tons of hardcore have been removed from the site, leaving the top soil to be spread.

Cllr Jill Davison, Cabinet member with responsibility for planning says: "This was a flagrant abuse of planning law. We are committed to the protection of the green belt and the rural nature of the District and this case should act as proof that we will take action against people who go ahead with developments without permission."