38 - 40 Gabriels Hill Maidstone Kent ME15 6JJ Data via plota.co.uk

26/503610/FULL - Full Awaiting decision

Proposal

Retention of part of ground floor area for retail use (Use Class E) and change of use of remaining part of ground floor and upper floors from retail/office use to 5no. one bedroom flats (Use Class C3). Installation of 3no. additional windows and new entrance doors to front and side. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
around 16 Oct 2026
Decision
Expected by 11 Dec 2026

Under consideration

No decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision around 11 Dec 2026, from Maidstone's recent changes of use.

Comments are open until 19 Nov 2026

Comment on this application ↗

Site constraints 8

Flood zone 3, rivers and sea
High chance: a 1 in 100 or greater annual chance from rivers, or 1 in 200 from the sea. Any development here needs a flood risk assessment. Defences are not counted.
The Environment Agency flood map for planning. Homes in zone 3 must also pass the sequential test. Surface water flooding is a separate map.
Flood map ↗
Maidstone, Town Centre 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 ↗
45 listed buildings within 150 m
Nearest: 29 and 31, Gabriel's Hill, Grade II, 21 m away · 7 Grade II*, 38 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 45 with distances
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Scheduled monument 192 m away: Tithe barn, Mill Street; Local nature reserve 388 m away: River Len; Radon affected area, class 2; Inside the Maidstone built-up area; Flood defence 37 m away (natural high ground, designed for a 1 in 5 year flood).
Not affected
Not green belt

Checked on 17 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
Maidstone
Application type
Full
Postcode
ME15 6JJ
Received
around 16 Oct 2026
Validated
16 Oct 2026
Ward
High Street
Target decision
11 Dec 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show
Agent
Forma Architecture Ltd

Decision outlook

Day 12 of the 56-day target. Maidstone usually decides changes of use by day 56.

Day 1244 days to the 56-day target
63%decided within 8 weeks
82%approved
91decided in the last year

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

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-15196855
Planning Portal ref
PP-15196855
Comments by
19 Nov 2026
Site or press notice
29 Oct 2026
Statutory expiry
11 Dec 2026
Env. assessment
No
Maidstone
Planning Authority Score
7.1/10
Good
#58 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Maidstone is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #34 out of 296. Only 30% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (91%) than the national average (90%).

Faster than most councils
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Maidstone decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
84%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #225 of 296
91%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #175 of 296
81%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #34 of 296
30%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #55 of 296
76%
Minor dwellings approved
136 decided (1-9 homes)
75%
Major dwellings approved
20 decided (10+ homes)
75%
Change of use approved
44 decided
1,110
Total decisions
181 refused in the year to March 2026