Smiths Hall Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE Data via plota.co.uk

26/504100/TCA - Trees in Conservation Area Awaiting decision
Trees & landscaping

Proposal

Conservation Area Notification: To fell row of 6no. failing Holly trees (G1), 1no. Cherry Tree (T2) and 1no. Yew Tree to be reduced from 6m in height to 3m in height to encourage growth lower down. Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
around 26 Oct 2026
Decision
Expected by 7 Dec 2026

Under consideration

No decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision between 29 Nov 2026 and 8 Dec 2026, from Maidstone's recent tree and landscaping works.

Documents 1

Other documents 1

PDF ApplicationFormRedacted Application Details · 26 Oct 2026 View ↗

All documents on the council site ↗

Site constraints 5

Grade I listed: West Farleigh Hall
List entry 1116033 · The pin is inside its outline · 6 more listed buildings within 150 m (6 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 6 with distances
Historic England ↗
West Farleigh 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 3a
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.
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 2.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 28 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
Trees in Conservation Area
Postcode
ME15 0PE
Received
around 26 Oct 2026
Validated
26 Oct 2026
Ward
Coxheath And Farleigh
Parish
West Farleigh
Case officer
Show
Target decision
7 Dec 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show
Agent
Show

Decision outlook

Day 3 of the 56-day target. Maidstone usually decides tree and landscaping works by day 39.

Day 353 days to the 56-day target
92%decided within 8 weeks
96%approved
233decided in the last year

Plota live figures for tree and landscaping works decided by Maidstone in the last twelve months, from validation. Maidstone decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-15323588
Planning Portal ref
PP-15323588
Statutory expiry
7 Dec 2026
Env. assessment
No

Historical activity at this location

26 previous applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

This property

Previous applications at this address

2024 Approved
Conservation Area Notification : G1- Line of three mature Magnolias. Approximate height f…
24/500018/TCA
2024 Approved
Conservation Area Notification : G1- Line of three mature Magnolias. Approximate height f…
24/500018/TCA
2023 Approved
Submission of Details pursuant to condition 3 (Archaeological Watching Brief) of Applicat…
23/501595/SUB
2023 Approved
Change of use of agricultural land for the erection of a solar array, to serve Smiths Hal…
22/505929/FULL
2023 Approved
Listed Building Consent for the linking of an underground electrical cable from a ground…
22/505930/LBC
Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2024 Approved
Outside The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
PCB - Removal
24/504925/PCB
2024 Approved
Outside The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
PCB - Removal
24/504925/PCB
2024 Approved
The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Submission of details pursuant to condition 3 (ecology scheme) subject to planning applic…
24/503672/SUB
2024 Approved
The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Submission of details pursuant to condition 3 (ecology scheme) subject to planning applic…
24/503672/SUB
2024 Approved
The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Maidstone Kent ME15 0PE
Retention of marquee structure upon existing decked/terrace area for uses ancillary to th…
24/502088/FULL
2024 Approved
The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Maidstone Kent ME15 0PE
Retention of marquee structure upon existing decked/terrace area for uses ancillary to th…
24/502088/FULL
2024 Approved
The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Advertisement consent for 2no. post mounted signs.
24/501436/ADV
2024 Approved
The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Advertisement consent for 2no. post mounted signs.
24/501436/ADV
2024 Approved
Orchard Gate Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Demolition of existing single storey rear extension and erection of a single storey rear…
24/500010/FULL
2024 Approved
Orchard Gate Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Demolition of existing single storey rear extension and erection of a single storey rear…
24/500010/FULL
2022 Approved
Smiths Croft Smiths Hill West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PG
Conservation Area notification: T1 - Holly Tree by boundary overhanging road - removal as…
22/504219/TCA
2022 Approved
Royal Mail Post Box Smiths Hill West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PG
Repair of the wall and replacement of Royal Mail wall box.
22/501276/FULL
2022 Approved
Royal Mail Post Box Smiths Hill West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PG
Listed Building Consent repair of the wall and replacement of Royal Mail wall box.
22/501365/LBC
2018 Refused
Orchard Gate Lower Road West Farleigh Maidstone Kent ME15 0PE
Loft conversion with new roof windows and dormer to create a new bedroom and en-suite spa…
18/506286/FULL
2018 Refused
Orchard Gate Lower Road West Farleigh Maidstone Kent ME15 0PE
Loft conversion with new roof windows and dormer to create a new bedroom and en-suite spa…
18/506286/FULL
2016 Approved
The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh ME15 0PE
Listed building consent for the installation of a single LED flood light attached to the…
16/503645/LBC
2016 Approved
The Tickled Trout Public House Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Retrospective application for the insertion of double head LED floodlights to rear of car…
16/503202/FULL
2017 Approved
Chequers Cottage Lower Road West Farleigh ME15 0PE
Submission of details pursuant to condition 4 (Fenestration details) - for planning permi…
17/501774/SUB
2017 Approved
The Old Stable Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Submission of Details to Discharge Condition 3 - Materials subject to 16/501364/FULL.
17/500763/SUB
2016 Approved
Chequers Cottage Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Proposed loft extension with dormer.
16/505975/FULL
2016 Approved
The Old Stable Lower Road West Farleigh Kent ME15 0PE
Erection of a detached garage.
16/501364/FULL
Maidstone
Planning Authority Score
7.1/10
Good
#58 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Other decisions

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
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings