Kent man appeals third refusal of bungalow with care suite for wife with dementia

Ashford Borough Council has refused planning permission three times for a single-storey bungalow with an attached care suite in Smarden, Kent. 1 2 The applicant is David Marks, 78, a property developer who lives in Wateringbury. He wants to care personally for his wife Yvonne, who has dementia and Parkinson's disease and has been in a care home in Maidstone for nearly three years. 1 2 Mr Marks says he fears time is running out, describing his wife's condition as "end of life". He has appealed the latest refusal, issued in June, to the Planning Inspectorate. 2 1

Earlier proposals for a five-bedroom, off-grid eco-house were rejected. Smarden Parish Council called one of them an unsuitable "overdevelopment", and planners said the design was not "exceptional" and would encroach on the countryside. 1 2 The scaled-back third proposal drew no objection from the parish council and letters of support from neighbours. The planning officer still refused it as "unacceptable" because it would develop a greenfield site, although the officer said they had taken the "human rights issues" into account. 1 2 In his appeal, Mr Marks argues the home would help the council meet housing delivery targets. He also says self-build rules cannot reasonably apply, because his wife's "end of life" may come before a self-build could be finished. 1 2

An Ashford Borough Council spokesman said the council cannot comment further while the appeal is under way. 1 2