49 - 51 High Street West Malling Kent ME19 6QH Data via plota.co.uk

26/00576/FL - Planning Permission Approved
Change of useCommercial premises

Proposal

Retrospective application for the change of use from cafe to a mixed use cafe and drinking establishment Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
30 Mar 2026
✓
Validated
15 May 2026
✓
Consultation
20 May 2026
✓
Approved
1 Sept 2026

Approved on 1 Sept 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 2 Sept 2026

Documents 14

Decision & officer reports 2

PDF DELEGATED REPORT Decision · 1 Sept 2026 View ↗ PDF Decision Decision · 1 Sept 2026 View ↗

Statements & assessments 1

PDF PLANNING STATEMENT Report · 14 Aug 2026 View ↗

Plans & drawings 4

PDF PROPOSED FLOOR PLAN Drawing · 14 Aug 2026 View ↗ PDF PLAN WITH MEASUREMENTS Drawing · 7 May 2026 View ↗ PDF FURTHER INFORMATION RECEIVED 07 MAY 2026 Drawing · 7 May 2026 View ↗ PDF SITE LOCATION PLAN Site Location Plan · 30 Mar 2026 View ↗

Application forms 1

PDF APPLICATIONFORMREDACTED Application Form · 30 Mar 2026 View ↗

Consultation & comments 3

PDF WEST MALLING PARISH COUNCIL Consultee Response · 8 Jun 2026 View ↗ PDF NEIGHBOUR COMMENT (NEUTRAL) SUBMITTED ONLINE General Comment · 1 Jun 2026 View ↗ PDF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROTECTION Consultee Response · 27 May 2026 View ↗

Other documents 3

IMG FIRE EXIT 2 Photo · 7 May 2026 View ↗ IMG FIRE EXIT 1 Photo · 7 May 2026 View ↗ PDF CHANGE OF USE Other · 30 Mar 2026 View ↗

All documents on the council site ↗

Site constraints 8

Grade II listed: 49 and 51, High Street
List entry 1218103 · 2 m away · 70 more listed buildings within 150 m (1 Grade I, 3 Grade II*, 66 Grade II)
Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show the other 70 with distances
Historic England ↗
West Malling conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Council document ↗
Public footpath 23 m away
Matters where it crosses or adjoins the site: obstructing a path without a diversion order is an offence, and work cannot start until the order is confirmed.
Compiled from highway authority data, not the legal definitive map. A few authorities have not published, so no path shown is not proof there is none.
Scheduled monument 110 m away: St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane
Its setting is a consideration for work nearby.
Nationally important archaeology protected by the Secretary of State. Work that affects the monument or its setting is rarely permitted.
Historic England ↗
Habitat network: Network Enhancement Zone 2
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Also on the record
Radon affected area, class 4; Inside the West Malling built-up area; Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) had this area as grade 3, but it predates the buildings here and the current map does not class it as farmland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt

Checked on 6 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council
Tonbridge
Application type
Planning Permission
Postcode
ME19 6QH
Received
30 Mar 2026
Validated
15 May 2026
Ward
East Malling West Malling And Offham
Parish
West Malling
Case officer
Show
Target decision
10 Jul 2026
Decision
Approved
Decision date
1 Sept 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 109 days from validation, 45 days slower than Tonbridge's median of 64 for changes of use. Approved, as 72% of changes of use here are.

38%decided within 8 weeks
72%approved
47decided in the last year

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Tonbridge in the last twelve months, from validation. Tonbridge decision record →

Public comments

1comment received
1 neutral

6 neighbours consulted · Last counted 2 Sept 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14816420
Planning Portal ref
PP-14816420
Neighbours
20 May 2026
Consultation
20 May 2026
Comments by
18 Jun 2026
Site or press notice
27 May 2026
Statutory expiry
10 Jul 2026
Env. assessment
No

Historical activity at this location

25 nearby applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2025 Approved
41, Swan Street, West Malling, ME19 6JU
Listed Building Application: Repairs to roof
25/01927/LB
2025 Approved
41, Swan Street, West Malling, ME19 6JU
Listed Building Application: Repairs to roof
25/01927/LB
2025 Approved
LAND OPPOSITE 9, High Street, West Malling
1 x Pear (standing opposite 2/4 King Street) - Reduce by up to 30% back to previous points
25/01781/PA
2025 Approved
LAND OPPOSITE 9, High Street, West Malling
1 x Pear (standing opposite 2/4 King Street) - Reduce by up to 30% back to previous points
25/01781/PA
2025 Approved
LAND OPPOSITE 9, High Street, West Malling
1 x dead Hawthorn (standing opposite 4 King Street) - Fell as specified
25/01783/PA
2025 Approved
LAND OPPOSITE 9, High Street, West Malling
1 x dead Hawthorn (standing opposite 4 King Street) - Fell as specified
25/01783/PA
2024 Approved
36 - 38, HIGH STREET, WEST MALLING, ME19 6QR
Listed Building Application: Conversion of the ground floor existing kitchen area, toilet…
24/02063/PA
2025 Refused
36 - 38, HIGH STREET, WEST MALLING, ME19 6QR
Formation of flat at ground floor and change of use to dwelling
25/00660/PA
2024 Approved
36 - 38, HIGH STREET, WEST MALLING, ME19 6QR
Listed Building Application: Conversion of the ground floor existing kitchen area, toilet…
24/02063/PA
2025 Refused
36 - 38, HIGH STREET, WEST MALLING, ME19 6QR
Formation of flat at ground floor and change of use to dwelling
25/00660/PA
2024 Approved
36 38, High Street, West Malling, ME19 6QR
Listed Building Application: Conversion of the ground floor existing kitchen area, toilet…
24/02063/LB
2025 Refused
36 38, High Street, West Malling, ME19 6QR
Formation of flat at ground floor and change of use to dwelling
25/00660/FL
2024 Approved
36 38, High Street, West Malling, ME19 6QR
Listed Building Application: Conversion of the ground floor existing kitchen area, toilet…
24/02063/LB
2025 Refused
36 38, High Street, West Malling, ME19 6QR
Formation of flat at ground floor and change of use to dwelling
25/00660/FL
2025 Approved
17, High Street, West Malling, ME19 6QH
Listed Building Application: Demolition of existing rear extension, erection of a replace…
25/01213/LB
2025 Approved
17, High Street, West Malling, ME19 6QH
Demolition of existing rear extension, erection of a replacement single storey rear exten…
25/01212/HH
2025 Approved
17, High Street, West Malling, ME19 6QH
Listed Building Application: Demolition of existing rear extension, erection of a replace…
25/01213/LB
2025 Approved
17, High Street, West Malling, ME19 6QH
Demolition of existing rear extension, erection of a replacement single storey rear exten…
25/01212/HH
2025 Approved
17, HIGH STREET, WEST MALLING, ME19 6QH
Demolition of existing rear extension, erection of a replacement single storey rear exten…
25/01212/PA
2025 Approved
17, HIGH STREET, WEST MALLING, ME19 6QH
Listed Building Application: Demolition of existing rear extension, erection of a replace…
25/01213/PA
2016 Approved
28 King Street West Malling Kent ME19 6QT
Details of materials pursuant to condition 2 of TM/15/03392/LB (Demolition of existing re…
16/01754/LRD
2016 Approved
19 Swan Street West Malling Kent ME19 6JU
S73 application to vary condition 3 (opening hours) of planning permission TM/14/00381/FL…
16/01578/FL
2016 Approved
21 Swan Street West Malling Kent ME19 6JU
S73 application to vary condition 3 (opening hours) of planning permission TM/13/00658/FL…
16/01579/FL
2016 Approved
Priors House 18 King Street West Malling Kent ME19 6QT
Listed Building Application: Demolition of existing rear lean-to and erect new extension…
16/00219/LB
2016 Approved
Priors House 18 King Street West Malling Kent ME19 6QT
Demolition of existing rear lean-to and erect new extension to enclose new stairs
16/00231/FL
Tonbridge
Planning Authority Score
4/10
Below average
#193 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Tonbridge is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #244 out of 296. 54% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (97%) than the national average (90%).

Slower than most councils
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Tonbridge decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
95%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #31 of 296
97%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #45 of 296
49%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #244 of 296
54%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #246 of 296
88%
Minor dwellings approved
96 decided (1-9 homes)
82%
Major dwellings approved
11 decided (10+ homes)
89%
Change of use approved
9 decided
880
Total decisions
47 refused in the year to March 2026
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings