The Hops 4 School Lane Bekesbourne Kent CT4 5ER Data via plota.co.uk

CA/26/00888 - Cert of existing lawful use or devt Approved

Proposal

Application for lawful development certificate for existing single-storey outbuilding and use of garage as additional habitable accommodation. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
26 May 2026
✓
Approved
21 Jul 2026

Approved on 21 Jul 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 21 Jul 2026

Site constraints 6

The Bekesbourne Conservation Area 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 ↗
Agricultural land, grade 2
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s), which most planning maps still show, had this area as grade 1. The predicted grade is Defra's current estimate; only a site survey settles it.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
2 listed buildings within 150 m of the postcode pin
Nearest: Parsonage Farmhouse, Grade II, about 44 m from the postcode pin · 1 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. 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 all 2 with distances
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Radon affected area, class 3; Scheduled monument about 217 m away: Archbishop's Palace, Bekesbourne; Coalfield, development low risk area.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt

Checked on 6 October 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Mining Remediation Authority, 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.

Building

Floor area80 m² (861 sq ft)
Energy ratingE (51 out of 100), could reach B
PropertyDetached bungalow, 3 habitable rooms
Built1950 to 1966
HeatingBoiler and radiators, mains gas
WallsCavity wall, filled cavity

From the energy performance certificate lodged in June 2018, the latest held for this property, matched to this application by its address. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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Important details

Council
Canterbury
Application type
Cert of existing lawful use or devt
Postcode
CT4 5ER
Received
26 May 2026
Validated
26 May 2026
Ward
Little Stour And Adisham
Parish
Bekesbourne With Patrixbourne
Case officer
Show
Target decision
21 Jul 2026
Decision
WAS LAWFUL
Decision date
21 Jul 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show

Consultation & key dates

Statutory expiry
21 Jul 2026
Canterbury
Planning Authority Score
4.8/10
Below average
#158 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Canterbury is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #259 out of 296. Householder applications are more likely to be approved here than most councils, with a 97% approval rate vs 90% nationally.

More permissive than most councils
97% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Canterbury decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
95%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #18 of 296
97%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #27 of 296
43%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #259 of 296
44%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #176 of 296
84%
Minor dwellings approved
62 decided (1-9 homes)
95%
Major dwellings approved
20 decided (10+ homes)
93%
Change of use approved
29 decided
925
Total decisions
45 refused in the year to March 2026

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.