Detached pool house at 28 Hollywood Lane, Wainscott, Rochester
Summary of planning committee decision
Decided by Medway Planning Committee on 11 Feb 2026.
What was proposed
Permission was sought for a single-storey detached pool house containing leisure facilities in the rear garden.
“The application seeks permission for the construction of a single storey detached pool house to rear garden. As the property is on a corner plot where the house fronts Hollywood Lane, the rear garden faces onto Leigh Road and the proposed outbuilding will be visible from that road.”
“The rear garden amenity measures an area of approx. 505sqm. The proposed outbuilding measures an area of approx. 146sqm; occupying 28.9% of the rear garden amenity.”
Officer report
What officers recommended
Officers recommended approval because the outbuilding would fit the garden, remain screened, protect neighbour amenity and avoid highway or tree harm.
“The proposed outbuilding, although large, occupies a plot that supports a generous rear garden amenity space such that accounting for the floor area of this aspect alone, the proposed outbuilding would occupy 28.9% of the rear garden amenity; retaining 71.1% of the rear garden amenity space comprising 359sqm in area of external amenity. As such, the proposed outbuilding would not appear disproportionate within its siting.”
“In consideration of the above, the proposed outbuilding is considered to appear sympathetic to the primary dwellinghouse and appropriate in mass and scale within the context of the generous rear garden amenity as well as well screened and spaced from neighbouring properties and the adjacent street accounting for the disparity in land levels and siting.”
Officer report
What people said
Two neighbours, the parish council and a protection society objected over overdevelopment, amenity, privacy, scale and residential use concerns.
“- loss of amenity; - loss of privacy; - loss of outlook; - loss of sunlight and overshadowing; - loss of amenity; - overlooking; - mass and scale. - overbearing and dominance of structure; - overdevelopment; - harm to trees;”
“Over development of the site, with the loss of a substantial part of the garden and loss of private amenity for the benefit of the property. · The proposed outbuilding is disproportionately large and overbearing in nature, amounting to an overdevelopment of the site. The scale of the structure when considered in conjunction with the limited size of the garden, would result in a substantial loss of outdoor amenity space for the occupants.”
Officer report
The committee’s decision
The committee approved the application subject to the four conditions and reasons set out for approval.
“The Committee discussed the planning application noting the officer presentation and the report.”
“APPROVED subject to conditions 1 to 4 as set out in the report for the reasons stated in the report.”
Minutes
Sources
- Medway Planning Committee minutes, 11 February 2026
- Agenda and papers (council website)
Source: Plota analysis of Medway's committee minutes and officer report. Quotations are the council's own words; headings and summaries are Plota's.
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See the API →At the meeting
- Committee
- Medway Planning Committee
- Council
- Medway
- Date
- Wednesday 11 February 2026
- Recommendation
- Officers recommended approval
- Committee decided
- Approved
- Minutes
- The council's minutes
- Meeting
- Agenda and papers (council website)
- Application
- The application (council website)
- All decisions
- Medway committee decisions →
This committee's year
39 decisions in the 12 months to this meeting, 3 against officer advice.
Source: Plota analysis of the committee's minutes.