Policy information sourced from the Gravesham Local Plan First Review

C12

There will be a strong presumption against allowing the replacement of existing dwellings which will only be set aside if the following criteria are satisfied:

  1. The existing dwelling must be an “original dwelling”* in permanent use as a dwelling. Proposals for the replacement of dwellings which are not “original” but which have gained immunity from the enforcement of planning control will be considered on their individual merits, having regard to their origins, their location and the nature of the accommodation they currently provide.
  2. The existing dwelling must be in an appropriate location, meaning that it must be well related to existing roads and to essential services and must be in or close to an established rural settlement. The only exception to this criterion will be where the proposed replacement dwelling is required on the site for an agricultural worker, where the standard agricultural occupancy condition will be imposed.
  3. The replacement dwelling must be of similar scale and mass to the existing dwelling and must be no larger than the existing dwelling, unless it can be demonstrated that modest enlargement+ is required to allow the provision of essential basic amenities such as a bathroom, toilet or kitchen, which currently do not exist or are clearly inadequate or to meet the special needs of the occupants.
  4. The internal layout of the replacement dwelling shall not be such as to facilitate its later subdivision.
  5. The replacement dwelling should normally occupy the same site as the existing dwelling. Where it is agreed that the replacement dwelling may be located elsewhere on the plot, adequate safeguards# will be required to ensure the demolition of the existing dwelling.
  6. The existing or proposed means of access, including access for fire fighting appliances, must be satisfactory.
  7. The existing or proposed site drainage and means of soil and waste disposal must be satisfactory.

* “Original dwelling” for the purpose of this policy and policy C13 means a building in permanent residential use at 1st July 1948 or subsequently erected as a permanent dwelling in accordance with planning permission in that behalf.

+ In such cases the modest enlargement should not in any case be greater than one third of the floorspace of the existing dwelling excluding garage(s) and outbuildings and the replacement of bungalows by dwellings of two or more storeys will be resisted.

# “Adequate safeguards” will normally mean a planning condition and/or a formal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

For more information please see the Gravesham Local Plan