A field at Pye Corner in Ulcombe could be changed to a holiday home park with 13 "log cabins".

An application has been submitted for the land adjacent to Neverend Farm Barns, close to an existing Gypsy site.

The landowner has already been granted a certificate of lawfulness to place five touring caravans or mobile homes in the field, and the site was registered with the Caravan and Motorhome Club, but it is believed it has seen little business.

Now the owner has applied for permission for 13 "holiday" cabins, although there are no details in the application showing how the accommodation will be restricted to holiday use only.

Although referred to as "log cabins", the application makes it clear the units are legally classed as caravans, which can measure up to 20m long, by 6.8m wide, by 3.05m high.

They will be clad in a "composite wood finish".

The applicant's agent justifies the development of the site, which lies in the Low Weald Landscape of Local Value Area, on the basis of the other caravans existing nearby.

"The presence of mobile homes now dominate the character of the area"

The agent says: "The character of the area is defined by existing and former agricultural buildings, the latter now being used for residential purposes, along with gypsy and traveller mobile homes located beyond the south east of the site, as well as further mobile homes to the south.

"Along with the existing certified lawful use of the site for the siting of five mobile homes, it is apparent that the presence of mobile homes and other residential dwellings now dominate the character of the area."

If permission is granted, the 13 caravans will be fixed permanently on the site – there will be no movement of mobile homes on and off the site, which is held up as a planning gain, as Pye Corner is a narrow country lane.

The existing access via Pye Corner will remain.

Headcorn and Ulcombe have an exceptionally high proportion of Gypsy and Traveller sites compared with other parts of the borough.

As well as the neighbouring a Gypsy plot, the site is not far from a travellers' site on land behind the The Meadows in Lenham Road, Headcorn, which is currently the subject of a planning inquiry into appeals by 17 travellers into enforcement notices issued by Maidstone council for alleged breaches of planning regulations.

The enforcement notices date back to August 2018. After a week of hearings at Maidstone Town Hall earlier this month, the inquiry has been adjourned until December 12.

The application for the holiday cabins can be viewed on the Maidstone council website here.

Search for planning reference number 22/504521.