The Planning Inspectorate has dismissed a landowners’ appeal and upheld Sevenoaks District Council’s enforcement notice against an unauthorised development at Birchfield Wood, Church Road, Sundridge.
Residents near the Church Road site in Sundridge will see clearance works begin after an independent planning inspector ruled in Sevenoaks District Council’s favour. The landowners, who moved onto the site overnight in April 2026 and installed hardstanding, tarmac, mobile homes and touring caravans without planning permission, must now remove everything and restore the land to its previous condition. The council has said that if the enforcement notice is not complied with, further court action remains an option.
Sevenoaks District Council announced the outcome on social media after the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal on 10 November 2026.
What the council decided — and why
The council served an enforcement notice — a legal order requiring unauthorised development to be removed and land restored — after works were carried out at Birchfield Wood without any planning consent. A temporary stop notice was issued first, halting further works immediately. Stop notices of this kind cannot themselves be appealed, but the subsequent enforcement notice can be, and the landowners chose to do so.
According to the council, the development is inappropriate in the Green Belt and damages the openness that Green Belt designation is meant to protect. The site also sits within the Kent Downs National Landscape, and the council identified harm to visual amenity and to the character of that protected area.
The landowners’ position
The landowners appealed to the Planning Inspectorate — the government body that handles planning disputes — indicating they opposed the council’s requirements or the refusal of planning permission. The available official material does not set out their detailed grounds of appeal or any specific proposals they put forward to mitigate the harm identified. But the inspector, after a hearing at Sevenoaks District Council offices on 8 September 2026, rejected their case entirely.
Removal of the mobile homes and touring caravans will affect anyone currently living on or using the site, and enforcement and restoration are likely to involve significant costs and disruption for the landowners and occupants.
The timeline
- April 2026 — landowners moved onto the site overnight and carried out works without permission
- 17 May 2026 — enforcement notice took effect
- 8 September 2026 — appeal hearing held at Sevenoaks District Council offices
- 10 November 2026 — Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal and upheld the notice
- 12 months — period stated in the council’s news release for removing mobile homes and caravans and restoring the land
One point worth flagging: the council’s initial enforcement information referred to a three-month compliance period, while its later news release stated 12 months for removal and restoration. Residents or interested parties should check the final enforcement notice and the inspector’s decision for the exact deadlines that apply.
What this ruling does and doesn’t mean
The Planning Inspectorate’s decision is independent of the council, which strengthens its weight. And the council’s enforcement case reference — 26/00121/MCU — is publicly recorded on the Sevenoaks District Council enforcement register for anyone who wants to follow the case.
The ruling applies only to this specific site, these specific works and the circumstances considered. It doesn’t mean every development involving mobile homes in the Green Belt is automatically refused — each case turns on its own facts.
What residents near the site can expect
Nearby residents may see enforcement activity, vehicle movements and site clearance as the restoration process gets under way. Anyone who suspects a planning breach elsewhere in the district can report it to Sevenoaks District Council — though the council does not accept anonymous complaints and says it prioritises cases involving serious harm.
The council will now monitor compliance with the enforcement notice and may pursue court action if the landowners do not act within the required period.