Beechlands Close

About the road

Beechlands Close is an attractive sloping road of 14 semi-detached bungalows, nestling under Hartley Wood, numbered 1-15 (odd) and 2-12 (even). They were built in 1963 on the site of Gorsewood House, Gorse Way, which was sited approximately where the front garden of number 13 is today. It is clearly a very pleasant road to live, as houses here seem to change hands less often than elsewhere.

Hartley-Kent: Entrance to Beechlands Close

Historically the land was part of the Hartley Court estate, which was acquired in 1913 by Small Owners Limited. They sold the site of Gorse Way and Beechlands Close to May Symons in 1923. According to Charles Ellerby, she and her husband Hedley kept pigs and also owned Hartley Woods, where they sold wood for pit props in the First World War. In 1934 she sold the land to the Fawkham Development Company Limited. The company was run by George and Rosalie Mainprize, who lived at Gorsewood House. Hartley-Kent: Middle Part of Beechlands Close

By 1962 Gorsewood House had been purchased by the Dartford builders, J H Brewster Limited. They applied to demolish the house and build 20 bungalows (application TH/5/62/257), being Beechlands Close and additional properties facing Gorse Way. The council thought that was excessive, as their policy was to allow no more than 18 people per acre here. Eventually both sides agreed on 19 houses. Hartley-Kent: End of Beechlands Close and Hartley Wood

Statistics about the road

Subject Details
Length of Road: 0.08 miles / 127m
KCC Reference: U12437 (adopted)
Acreage: 1.88 acres / 0.76 hectares

Houses

14 semi-detached bungalows

Density: 7.5 houses/acre, 18.4 houses/hectare (Hartley average 4.9 houses/acre)
Population (2011): 29
Companies with registered address here (2013): 0

Information about the houses

Explanation:

Date of Construction is sometimes approximate.
(1) Planning Permissions include the reference number, so more details can be seen at Sevenoaks Council. My records are not complete and do not include refused or withdrawn applications.
(2) Before Council Tax the tax on residential property was called the rates. The registers for 1956, 1963 and 1972 are held at Sevenoaks Council. The rateable value given is the gross estimated rental value of the property, that is how much the Valuation Office thought people would pay to rent it, the rates were actually calculated on a lower value after certain statutory allowances were made. For some reason the 1956 register contains the rateable value for the properties as it would have been in 1939.
(3) Council tax is based on what the Valuation Office thought the property would have sold for in 1993. It is divided into 8 value bands.
(4) House price data 1995 to date produced by Land Registry © Crown copyright 2016. To report an error, go to Change a sales record form.

I have tried to make sure the information is accurate, but no responsibility can be taken for any errors. If you plan to rely on the information, you should check the source data to be sure. If you spot an error, please let me know via the contact form.

1 Beechlands Close
Built: 1963
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £217
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): F

3 Beechlands Close
Built: 1963
(1) Planning permission: 2011/1321 Loft conversion with dormers; extension of detached garage
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £192
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): D

5 Beechlands Close
Built: 1963
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £250
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): F

7 Beechlands Close
Built: 1963
(1) Planning permission: 2013/2541 Demolish garage, replace with 2 storey side extension with dormer and 3 rooflights and other alterations
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £230
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): D
(4) Sale (20 Dec 2012): £285,000
(4) Sale (31 Mar 2014): £29,0000

9 Beechlands Close
Built: 1963
(1) Planning permission: 1985/838 Loft conversion
(1) Planning permission: 2006/445 Installation of solar water heating collectors to flat dormer roof to provide a sustainable non polluting energy source 
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £204
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): F

11 Beechlands Close
Built: 1963
(1) Planning permission: 2004/1410 Single storey rear extension, loft conversion, porch
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £212
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): E
(4) Sale (25 Sep 1963): £1,050 (land only, for stamp duty reasons people paid for the house separately then)
(4) Sale (27 Nov 1998): £110,000
(4) Sale (10 Dec 2003): £222,500
(4) Sale (17 May 2011): £305,000

13 Beechlands Close
Built: 1963
(1) Planning permission: 2008/2264 Single storey rear and side extensions
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £192
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): D
(4) Sale (31 May 2003): £177,500

15 Beechlands Close
Built: 1963
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £217
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): D

2 Beechlands Close
Built: 1964
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £234
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): D
(4) Sale (06 Aug 2003): £92,500

4 Beechlands Close
Built: 1964
(1) Planning permission: 1962/257.1 (1963) Erect private garage
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £234
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): E
(4) Sale (10 Jan 2014): £269,995

6 Beechlands Close
Built: 1964
(1) Planning permission: 1970/670 Convert roofspace to bedrooms and bathroom
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £297
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): E

8 Beechlands Close
Built: 1964
(1) Planning permission: 1970/670 Convert roofspace to bedrooms and bathroom
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £297
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): F
(4) Sale (12 Oct 2005): £271,000

10 Beechlands Close
Built: 1964
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £217
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): D
(4) Sale (14 Oct 2011): £247,000

12 Beechlands Close
Built: 1964
(1) Planning permission: 1987/805 Convert loft, dormer extension
(1) Planning permission: 2014/203 Replace sun room with single storey rear extension; loft extension
(2) Rateable Value (1972): £230
(3) Council Tax Banding (1993): F
(4) Sale (16 Dec 2013): £275,000