 Following the public inquiry and review of the resulting Inspector's report, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, rejected the appeal and refused planning permission for the development on 5 August 2010.Since the site is located principally in a designated special landscape area in the lee of the Kent Downs (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and with close proximity to the historic medieval villages of Bearsted, Thurnham, Hollingbourne and Lenham, the project received extensive criticism and objections from local residents and Members of Parliament.The Campaign to Protect Rural England was also a key supporter of the local objections.