The Court of Appeal has rejected a developer's attempt to overturn the refusal of permission to build more homes.

Gladman Developments Ltd wanted to build up to 330 houses and an 'extra care' facility at Pond Farm, off London Road, Newington, near Sittingbourne.

The proposals were refused by a planning inspector and again by a High Court judge in 2017.

Gladman took that decision to the Court of Appeal, where the decisions of the inspector and the High Court were upheld in a judgment handed down yesterday.

The Kent branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) challenged the proposals as it said it was clear homes built in this location would be heavily dependent on car-based transport, and that building in this area would only worsen already unacceptable levels of air pollution along the A2 at Newington and Rainham.

At the planning inquiry, Gladman argued that it had offered a financial contribution to undertake measures that would limit the effects of its development on air quality.

However, CPRE Kent’s air-quality witness, Professor Stephen Peckham, argued there was no indication of how that contribution would be spent, nor any evidence provided that those measures would actually limit the use of petrol or diesel vehicles and in doing so reduce NO2 emissions.

In refusing permission, the inspector agreed that air quality and human health would suffer if this development was to go ahead.

Hilary Newport, director at CPRE Kent, said: “This important decision serves to underline that government simply must commit to its obligations on air quality.

“We simply cannot continue to allow ‘business as usual’ planning decisions that ignore the impact of unsustainable transport on the health and well-being of communities.

“We must act quickly to bring about significant changes in the way we plan for future homes, employment and travel needs.”

Richard Knox-Johnston, vice-president of CPRE Kent, said: “We believe that winning this planning appeal represents the first time air-quality mitigation leading to health concerns has been given as a reason.

“CPRE Kent used air quality in this case even though the local planning authority did not object.

“In having this precedent tested in the High Court and subsequently in the Court of Appeal it has been shown that air-quality mitigation must now be taken into consideration in any planning application.

“My thanks go to Professor Stephen Peckham for his expert advice without which we would not have been able to put our case.”

CPRE Kent also thanked the legal teams at Cornerstone Barristers and Richard Buxton Solicitors for their hard work and expertise.

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