The Stansted and Fairseat Community Group

PLANNING UPDATE

Planning application – register your objection NOW!

Published: October 2025

Further to our previous email regarding the recently submitted Planning Application it’s now time to register your objections. We need as many as possible. Objections can be made by every individual adult so please encourage everyone in your household and friends and family who might not get this email to make their own. The deadline for comments is Wednesday 5th November (not 21st Nov as previously communicated).

How do I comment on the Planning Application?

Online – the easiest way to comment online via this link - Ref 25/01596/PA

This may take you directly to the application or click ‘Search applications’ and search using the application reference number ‘25/01596/PA’
Click on the application and then the blue box “Please, click here to comment on this application”
Fill in your details. Please note the requires you to enter a house number, even if your house does not have a number, otherwise you will receive an error when you submit. Just put “0” in this field and put your house name in the “House/Building name” field – otherwise you will receive an error message when you attempt to submit!
For “Commentor role”, the majority of you will enter “Neighbour” if you live locally or “Interested Party”.
“Comment Text” – enter your reasons for objections. You have 3000 characters (roughly 500 words). Please personalise your responses and feel free to talk about the importance of the pub as a community asset and your views on how the pub has been managed by the current owner. We have included the top key reasons for objecting to the application below. Please feel free to include whichever ones resonate with you – you do not need to include them all!
Typical objections are 2-3 paragraphs in length and the form is simple and shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to complete.
If you wish to submit comments that are longer than the 3000 characters allowed by the form then please do so via email – [email protected].
The Committee / Parish Council are developing a detailed response that will include all of these points with supporting evidence plus we have commissioned an independent Heritage Assessment and Viability Assessment that we will include.

Email

You can submit comments by email to [email protected]. You can do this if you are having trouble with the form or should you wish to submit a more detailed set of comments. The deadline for comments via email is the same as online – Wednesday 5th November.

Key Reasons for Objecting

Community value ignored
The Black Horse Public House is officially recognised as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), which means its social importance must be a key factor in any planning decision. The application does not adequately address this status.
Pub viability threatened
The proposal would drastically reduce the pub’s size, facilities and opening hours, making it commercially unviable and likely to fail. The design appears intentionally set up for the pub to not succeed. Regardless of any noise, the positioning of proposed residential units next to a reduced sized public house, is highly likely to lead to conflict between the two uses.
Ignoring local demand and independent viability report
An independent report says the reduced pub would not be commercially viable, is a sub-optimal size, ignores current market requirement to include a food offer and ignores the local and sub-regional market for a successful public house in Stansted that could serve tourist and guest requirements for the London Golf Club, the local wedding venue (The Black Barn, Court Lodge), tourists that visit and walk the local countryside, cycle groups and the families of local villages that have all seen their local pubs close in recent years.
Planning Policy Non-Compliance
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2024, paragraphs 88, 98 and 200) supports keeping accessible local and community services, particularly where there's no alternative option. Many of the residents in the village and surrounding areas used the pub over many years and there is no evidence that the full pub is no longer needed, and many similar pubs have been closed locally limiting alternative options. Just because the owners' marketing campaigns and running of the pub over the last 3 years wasn't effective doesn't mean it's not valued or needed. The emerging Local Plan includes Policy INF4, which aligns with NPPF 2024 and requires demonstration that the pub is no longer needed, viable or there is adequate provision elsewhere locally.
Heritage harm
The Public House is also both a designated and non-designated heritage asset, being located within the Stansted conservation area and a historic building. It is a key heritage asset (note: the Committee have commissioned a separate independent Heritage Assessment) within the village and conservation area. The application harms the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.
Poor quality housing and loss of B&B rooms
The proposed four residential units with limited private amenity do not meet modern space and amenity standards, will not attract elderly residents to abandon family homes (as suggested by the applicant) and seem to target single persons, who will have to rely on private car for access to services and jobs, with no public transport. The proposal will see also see the loss of 3 B&B rooms on the first floor (which are part of the public house and have been used by the current owner for residential use without a change of use permission).
Loss of Community Parking
The plan does not mention keeping car parking used by the nearby St Mary’s church, which is important for the community.
No affordable housing
The site does not qualify as Grey Belt, and there is no provision for affordable housing included.
Lack of Cooperation and bigger ambitions
The applicant will not engage with the Parish Council who are willing and able to acquire at market value and run the pub for the community (as demonstrated by the recent acquisition of Grange Park School and the monthly pop-up pub nights at the local village hall attended by up to 120 people). The applicant appears to have bigger ambitions to build houses on the public house land not included in the application boundary, facilitated by the removal without conservation area consent, the trees that would have restricted this ambition.
Justification for Green Belt VSC “Very Special Circumstances”
A number of the VSC listed are not valid: 1) Bio-Diversity Net Gain is a legal requirement of any application and nothing is proposed in this application which argues BNG exemptions by limiting the red line boundary of the application site and removing any existing habitat within the red line boundary 2) proposing 4 substandard residential units does not contribute to local housing needs 3) use of Previously Developed Land (PDL) is not a VSC, it is a sustainable development objective required of most applications where possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for submitting my comments? Wednesday 5th November. If you are reading this after the deadline then please do still send your comments via email – they may still be considered.
Do I have to live in Stansted and Fairseat Parish or Tonbridge and Malling to comment? No. Anyone can object to the Planning Application regardless of where they live.
Is it just one set of comments per household? No – every adult can object individually so please encourage others to do so.
Lots of people I know have already commented on the application - do I really need to? Yes please! Every comment counts and the more objections we can lodge, the better. It really does make a difference.
I am really busy, will it take a long time for me to lodge my objections? No. The online form takes 5 minutes to complete.
I have a question about the process or would like to discuss my objections with someone before I submit? Feel free to contact the Steering Committee at [email protected]. We will also be at the Pop-Up Pub Night on Friday 31 October.
My neighbour doesn’t have access to the internet or email but still wants to object. If possible, please help them complete an online form for them and include their details on the form. If they wish to write to the council then the address is FAO Susan Field, Planning Officer, TMBC Planning department, Gibson Building, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4LZ – please include the Planning Reference 25/01596/PA in the letter.

What else are the Committee doing?

We have reviewed the application in detail and are working with the Parish Council to submit our own set of detailed comments.
We have commissioned a professional Planning Consultant to advise the Committee.
We have commissioned an external Heritage Assessment report and independent Viability assessment and Valuation report which will be included with our detailed response.
The Parish Council have requested that the Planning Application be ‘called in’ for review – this means that the TMBC Planning Committee will discuss the Application at a future Committee meeting (date TBC).

A reminder for those that missed the last email - what has been submitted?

The owner of the Black Horse Pub has submitted a Planning Application to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council: Ref 25/01596/PA. In summary, the application seeks permission for

The conversion of part of the ground floor of the public house (dining room, kitchen and store) to form two studio flats
The conversion of the existing b&b rooms and manager accommodation at first floor level (above the public house) to form two 2-bed flats
The retention of the remaining ground floor commercial space for use as a public house, with access to a small rear terrace / beer garden
The re-use of a small part of the existing beer garden as communal garden for the benefit of the occupants of the flats

Finally, we will be providing a face-to-face update at the Halloween Pop Up Pub event this Friday 31st October. The event starts at 19:00 with the update at 20:00. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

Thank you, from your Project Steering Group

October update

Published: November 2025

Hi everyone, here is your latest update on keeping The Black Horse as our village pub. This is an important one regarding a planning application that has been made so please read carefully.

Planning Application – IMPORTANT

What has been submitted?

The owner of the Black Horse Pub has submitted a Planning Application to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. This was received by TMBC on 26th September 2025 but only formally published on their website yesterday (14th October). In summary, the application seeks permission for:

The conversion of part of the ground floor of the public house (dining room, kitchen and store) to form two studio flats
The conversion of the existing b&b rooms and manager accommodation at first floor level (above the public house) to form two 2-bed flats
The retention of the remaining ground floor commercial space for use as a public house, with access to a small rear terrace / beer garden
The re-use of a small part of the existing beer garden as communal garden for the benefit of the occupants of the flats

The Planning Application can be viewed here along with all supporting documents: https://planning.agileapplications.co.uk/tmbc/application-details/160960

What should I do if I want to comment on the Planning Application?

We understand that many of you may wish to comment on the Planning Application. However, we strongly recommend that you hold off on commenting until we provide further guidance on appropriate grounds for this. It is important that any objections focus on material, factual planning considerations, rather than emotional objections.

What are the Project Steering Committee doing?

We are currently reviewing the Planning Application in detail. Members of the Committee have Planning and Legal backgrounds and we are also taking professional advice.

We firmly believe that a small public house, operating with much reduced hours and with no food will not meet our ambition to run a food-led pub, run a day-time café nor create a social hub. We believe the Planning Application overlooks the need to prove viability. Experience has shown that a smaller pub without food is not sustainable, as it cannot attract enough custom in a rural location with little passing trade. The Black Horse thrived when it combined a welcoming pub with a vibrant restaurant, and our aim is to restore it to its former glory as both a place to eat and drink at the heart of the community.

When will you provide more information and guidance?

The deadline for submitting comments on the Planning Application is 21stNovember 2025. We will email with further instructions in due course. In the meantime please feel free to contact us at GENERAL [email protected] and do feel free to share this with as many people as possible and invite them to join our mailing list. The more people that comment on the Application, the better, and you do not have to live in the Parish to comment.

Parish Council update on enforcement issues

The Black Horse pub is vacant, so the Parish Council have focused their efforts on following up on the enforcement issue regarding the trees that were illegally felled.

A Tree Replacement Notice was served on the owners on the 25th of July 2025 by TMBC.
We have been informed that the owners have appealed the notice on the 28th August. The Parish Council has requested the details and will be contributing information to the appeal process.

Pop up pub nights, signs and media coverage

Despite the inclement weather, the Oktoberfest Pop up Pub was another fantastic success with great attendance, plenty of lederhosen and some hilarious games. We are very grateful to Greg and his team for the work they put in to make these events so enjoyable. Given the success of these we are planning to continue them and look forward to seeing you at 19:00 on:

Friday 31st October – a spooktacular Halloween special! This will include an update from the Project Steering Group at 19:45
Friday 28th November
Tuesday 23rd December – a Christmas special!

Finally, thanks to everyone who is displaying a sign / banner in support of the Black Horse. These send a powerful message to everyone travelling through the village but also to potential interested parties who may be visiting the pub. They have also created quite the media interest with a TV interview and a great article in the Kent Messenger.

Thank you, from your Project Steering Group

PLANNING UPDATE

Pre-application details released

Published: October 2025

We now have sight of the owner’s planning pre-application for The Black Horse, obtained through a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Parish Council. Importantly, this is not a formal planning application.

What we know:

The pre-application was submitted to Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council (TMBC) in October 2024, with a written response received in February 2025. The proposals included demolition of the conservatory, car port and outbuilding, construction of 5 new homes, and partial conversion of the pub into 2 flats while retaining around half of the existing pub space.

TMBC’s response:

TMBC concluded that the proposed new housing would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt and would not be supported. However, they indicated that the principle of a part conversion of the pub to flats could be supported, provided several concerns were addressed. TMBC also took the view that, because a reduced pub would remain, this would not amount to a material loss of its status as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

Our response:

TMBC’s advice overlooks the need to prove viability. Experience has shown that a smaller pub without food is not sustainable, as it cannot attract enough custom in a rural location with little passing trade. The Black Horse thrived when it combined a welcoming pub with a vibrant restaurant, and our aim is to restore it to its former glory as both a place to eat and drink at the heart of the community. We are picking up these points directly with TMBC.

What this means:

This remains an informal pre-application only. No formal planning application has been submitted, and any future application may look very different. We continue to monitor the planning portal closely and will provide guidance if a formal application is lodged.

August update

Published: September 2025

Hi everyone, it was lovely to see so many of you coming to our stand at the Stansted and Fairseat Village Fete to talk about The Black Horse - thank you for your support. We have banners, signs and cups available, if anyone wants to buy an item, please email [email protected].

We will be giving an update on keeping The Black Horse as our village pub at the next Pop-up Pub night on 3rd October. Hopefully see lots of you there.

To date, and to the best of our knowledge, no planning applications have been received by TMBC from The Black Horse.

Thank you, from your Project Steering Group.

Pop-up Pub:

Stansted Village Hall 7pm–10:30pm
Friday October 3rd & Friday October 31st

Thank you once again to everyone who came to support the last Pop Up Pub and enjoy a social night out. This was another successful evening organised by Greg our able bar man and his trusty team.

Just a reminder that the September Pop Up Pub will be on the first Friday of October (3rd) 🍺“Oktoberfest”🍺 and the October Pop Up Pub will be on the last Friday of October (31st) 🎃“Halloween”🎃.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

July update

Published: August 2025

Hi everyone, here is your July update on keeping The Black Horse as our village pub.

Update from this month:

We continue to monitor the situation with The Black Horse. There have been reports of people undertaking surveys at the pub but, to date and to the best of our knowledge, no planning applications have been received by TMBC from The Black Horse. We are ready to respond if that changes. The Parish is still keen to buy the Black Horse but only at a realistic asking price.

Pop-up pub nights continue, a huge thank you for your continued support and to Greg and team for running them. The darts game was great fun! As a reminder the next couple of dates are 29th August and 3rd October, at Stansted Village Hall 7pm-10:30pm.

Keeping you informed:

You can find us at the Stansted and Fairseat Village Fete on Saturday 6th September. We’ll be next to the bar selling reusable pint glasses, taking orders for ‘Save our pub’ signs, answering your questions and having some fun with a new pub game.

Thank you

MEDIA COVERAGE

"It's the last one standing": Kent Messenger covers our campaign

Published: Kent Messenger, July 2025

Community members at The Black Horse campaign

Photo: Villagers at a "Pop-up Pub Event"

Great news! The Kent Messenger has published a comprehensive article about our campaign to save The Black Horse. The article features interviews with Tom Sheldon and Anna Epps, highlighting the importance of preserving this historic village pub that has served the community since 1833.

Article highlights:

Community impact: The article emphasises how The Black Horse represents "the last one standing" after four other local pubs have closed
Historical significance: Details the pub's 190+ year history, including its connection to the Fremlin family who became Maidstone brewers
Our progress: Coverage of our Community Benefit Society formation, Asset of Community Value status, and successful pop-up pub events
Support from MP: Tom Tugendhat MP's backing for the campaign is featured prominently

Read the full article: Kent Messenger - "It's the last one standing: Villagers campaign to save historic pub"

This media coverage helps raise awareness of our campaign and demonstrates the widespread community support for saving The Black Horse.

June update

Published: July 2025

Hi everyone, here is your latest update on keeping The Black Horse as our village pub.

Update from this month:

Asset of Community Value: The Asset of Community Value (ACV) we put on the pub comes to an end on the 14th July 2025. This protected the pub by stopping anyone else buying it for six months while we tried to negotiate with the owners. The Parish Council did make an offer for The Black Horse, but this was rejected.
Now the owners can sell The Black Horse to anyone who wishes to pay their asking price. The Parish is still keen to buy the Black Horse but only at a realistic asking price.
Planning applications: To date, and to the best of our knowledge, no planning applications have been received by TMBC from the Black Horse.
Save The Black Horse Signs: The “Save the Black Horse” signs are up around the village and we thank everyone who purchased one of these. These act as a clear sign to any potential purchaser that the village has no intention of giving up and will fight to keep our pub as a traditional village pub at the heart of our community.
Parish Council update on enforcement issues: The Parish Council has provided the following update on the enforcement issues:
It remains the case that the Pub has an enforcement notice on it for the trees and TMBC have now issued a “Planning Contravention Notice” to establish the full extent of any and all breaches on site. This is a notice that legally requires a reply by 14th July 2025.
Pop-up pub night: The June Pop up Pub was a great success, we took a great photo and we were very pleased to see so many people enjoying themselves. We are very grateful to Greg for the work he has put in to make this event possible. We especially enjoyed the potato Curling and I am told he has another game up his sleeve for this month!

Keeping you informed:

The Pop-up pub night is primarily intended as a community event, but if we do have any updates to share about The Black Horse we will do so at these events. Some of the project group will be at each event to answer any questions you have.

A “Pop-up pub night” is planned again for the last Friday of July and August. At Stansted Village Hall 7pm -10.30pm. These events will be staffed and funded by the cost of the drinks which will be sold at a reduced rate but at a price that will cover the cost of the evening.

We look forward to welcoming you all there on:

25th July
29th Aug
September – For September the date needs to be moved by one week to the 3rd October

Thank you

April update

Published: May 2025

Here are the key updates from April - please come to our first pop-up pub night on 7th May.

Update from this month:

Pop-up pub night 7th May at 7:30pm: Please don’t miss our village update and pop-up pub night on the 7th May. We’re going to run this a little differently and give a brief update at the start covering our progress and latest plans followed by an evening of drinks and conversation. We will all be walking around to answer any of your questions. We would love your questions ahead of time so we can make sure we get the fullest answers for you - please email us with any questions on your mind in advance at: [email protected]
Conversations with the owners: We are continuing to talk to the owners about their plans for the pub. We are hoping to meet with them ahead of our village meeting on the 7th May so will update you more then.
Enforcement issues you raised: Stansted Parish Council are continuing to work with TMBC on the enforcement issues (cutting down the trees, the hoarding, and how the pub is currently being used). You can continue to raise these issues yourself as well directly with TMBC.

Keeping you informed:

You may have noticed our email and website has changed - we just think it’s simpler for now and helps with our main message - that we want to Save The Black Horse. Don’t worry if you’ve used the old one both still work and will reach us. We now have our regular email established as well as these Parish Notes and look forward to meeting with you on 7th May. If you would like to join the mailing list or WhatsApp group please email [email protected].

Thank you

March update

Published: April 2025

Hi everyone, here’s your latest update on keeping The Black Horse as our village pub.

Update from this month:

Thank you to the large number of people who have flagged to us the changes that have been made at The Black Horse to make it into a personal fitness studio – we now have and continue to raise these with the local council.

Current roadblocks:

Access to survey the property: The owners of The Black Horse have told the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) that the property has been offered to us for sale which now gives us 6 months to bid for the property. Unfortunately, we are being refused access to arrange any surveys which would be needed for funding and being told they would only accept a £1.5m offer (over three times the sale price when they purchased the property in 2022).
Lack of action so far from the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC): The Parish Council has been in regular communication with TMBC to highlight all the issues we’ve seen from the unauthorised removal of trees, installation of security barriers without planning permission and now opening a new business from the premises.

Where you can help:

Register your views: Given the strength of feeling about the changes at The Black Horse we encourage you to register directly with TMBC by going to https://enforcements.agileapplications.co.uk/tmbc. Then click ‘submit enforcement enquiry’, the first page is your details, second page is the details of the pub (TN15 7PR is the postcode and you have to put a number before the house name – just put ‘0’) and last page is asking for a description. It takes two minutes. Here are some useful data points to support you.
- A number of trees were felled August/September 2024;
- The Black Horse was closed to the public on 18th October 2024 turning it into a residential property with no change of use permission;
- The owner has now opened a personal training business from the premises with no change of use permission.

Keeping you informed:

We would like to hold another community meeting to update you on our progress and answer your questions and have booked the Stansted Village Hall on the 7th May 2025. We’ve also started a monthly email and set up a WhatsApp group using the details you gave us in the first meeting. If you would like to join those mailing lists, please use the Newsletter Signup form in the footer section below, or email [email protected].

Lastly please check out our website that is now updated with all the recent information: http://sfcg.co.uk.

Thank you, from your Stansted and Fairseat Community Group

February update

Published: March 2025

Hi everyone, we are a Project Steering Group that has been set up off the back of the Parish Council meeting at the beginning of November to try and keep The Black Horse as our village pub. We’re made up of 11 members all from within our Parish.

Who we are:

We’re led by our Chair - Tom Sheldon – and the committee members are; James Burlace, Lee Durrant, Anna Epps, David Epps, Daisy Estrada, Simon Gardiner, Gary Ibbott, Jonathan Rowe, Jason Taylor and Yvonne Tisson.

What we’re doing:

We meet regularly and since forming we’ve:

Submitted two Asset of Community Value (ACV) applications for both the pub and the land of the Black Horse which have been accepted. These create a period of 6 months for the community to purchase the pub subject to agreeing terms with the owner.
Been in regular contact with the owners of The Black Horse so we’re in the best position to make a viable offer. We’re waiting to be allowed access to survey the pub so we can get a valuation.
Joined Plunkett UK - a charity that supports groups set up community-owned businesses.
Identified and researched different funding opportunities and grants and pulled together a business plan so if we are in a position to run the pub we’ll have a plan to do so.
Applied to create a community benefit society, called Stansted and Fairseat Community Group (SFCG). If we can buy the pub then this is the entity that will make the purchase.
The owner has shared their intent to submit a planning application for development but at the time of writing no application has been received by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. We’re ready to respond when needed.

Keeping you informed:

We plan to use the Parish notes to keep you updated on our plans. We’re also about to start a regular email and if you’ve filled in our survey we’ll include you on that group.

It’s important that we can update you quickly when needed to if you’re not on our mailing list and would like to join please email [email protected].

Lastly please check out our website that we’ll continue to add information to: https://savetheblackhorse.co.uk.

Thanks from your Stansted and Fairseat Community Group

January update

Published: February 2025

The Parish Council subcommittee has been in dialogue with Viki at The Black Horse and anticipate that she will submit a planning application to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council shortly.

The committee has been meeting regularly, and they hope to have more information soon.

https://sfcg.co.uk

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DISPOSE OF A COMMUNITY ASSET

Section 95 (2) and 97 (4) of the Localism Act 2011

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has received a formal notice to dispose of this building (The Black Horse Public House) which has been listed as an Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act.

Asset of Community Value: The Black Horse Public House

Asset Nominated by: Stansted Parish Council

Receipt of Intended Disposal Notice: 14 January 2025

Interim Moratorium Period ends: 25 February 2025

Full Moratorium Period ends: 14 July 2025

Protected Period ends: 14 July 2026

The Council invites any eligible community interest group to express an interest to be treated as a bidder for the asset by 25 February 2025.

Such requests should be sent to the Borough Council using the following email address: [email protected] or by post to Asset of Community Value, Corporate Services, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, Gibson Building, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, West Malling, ME19 4LZ.

Further details on Assets of Community Value can be found on the Borough Council’s website at www.tmbc.gov.uk/community-services/community-assets

December update

Published: January 2025

The Project Steering Group had it's third meeting in December and everyone is working very hard toward a favourable outcome for all. We would like to thank everyone who filled in the questionnaire. Your input has been very useful, and we will try to keep you informed via the emails you supplied.