West Car Park At Bluewater Shopping Centre Dartford DA9 9ST Data via plota.co.uk

Proposal

Temporary use of part of the West Car Park for seasonal events and leisure activities, including amusement rides, attractions, food and drink stalls and associated facilities from October to January in , and (including set-up and take down). Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

Received
6 May 2026
Validated
19 May 2026
Consultation
19 May 2026
Approved
17 Aug 2026

Approved on 17 Aug 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 18 Aug 2026

Site constraints 2

Article 4 direction
HMO Article 4(1) Direction North Order 2025. Named permitted development rights are withdrawn here.
An Article 4 direction withdraws particular permitted development rights, so work that would normally need no application needs one here. Not every council has published its directions.
Also on the record
Inside the Stone (Dartford) built-up area.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No listed building at the site

Checked on 11 September 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England 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
Dartford
Application type
Full Application
Postcode
DA9 9ST
Received
6 May 2026
Validated
19 May 2026
Ward
Stone Castle
Parish
Stone
Case officer
Show
Target decision
18 Aug 2026
Decision
Approval of permission for a temp period
Decision date
17 Aug 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show
Agent
Tetratech/Mr Richard Boother

How this decision compares

Decided in 90 days from validation, 34 days slower than Dartford's median of 56 for changes of use. Approved, as 53% of changes of use here are.

59%decided within 8 weeks
53%approved
6%go to committee

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

Public comments

No public comments yet.

3 neighbours consulted · Last counted 18 Aug 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14863068
Neighbours
19 May 2026
Consultation
19 May 2026
Comments by
9 Jun 2026
Env. assessment
No
Dartford
Planning Authority Score
5/10
Average
#146 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Dartford is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #92 out of 296. Dartford is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 80% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 80% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Dartford decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
79%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #264 of 296
80%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #278 of 296
73%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #92 of 296
33%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #74 of 296
61%
Minor dwellings approved
46 decided (1-9 homes)
100%
Major dwellings approved
2 decided (10+ homes)
68%
Change of use approved
25 decided
595
Total decisions
126 refused in the year to March 2026