Council weighs up Local Plan consultation results

Published: Tuesday, 19th March 2024

Councillors will soon consider the results of the most recent Local Plan consultation, which asked for views on planning policies and development sites across the District.

The public were consulted on the draft Local Plan (the Regulation 18 part 2 consultation) over seven weeks from 23 November 2023 until 11 January 2024.

The Local Plan has policies to ensure new development comes forward with infrastructure and services and built to high design standards with a minimal impact on the environment.

The Plan also includes potential development sites for new homes and business space.

Around 5,300 people took part providing 11,000 comments.

The public were asked for their views on the possible locations for new developments. Their preferences were:

• Pedham Place (bordering Swanley and close to the villages of Farningham and Eynsford) - 37%
•  Multiple sites across the District - 32%
• A combination of multiple sites and Pedham Place - 2%
• None of these options - 29%

The public also raised other issues. These included:

• The need for services to support new housing, such as GP surgeries, schools and public transport
• Considering Green Belt developments in light of updates to national planning policy
• Concerns about the impacts of traffic and congestion
• The need to provide homes and services for older people
• Concerns about specific sites, particularly Pedham Place and land on the edge of Sevenoaks town.

While the public expressed their preferred locations for new developments, the Council will consider all of the issues and concerns that were raised before it revises the Local Plan. At this time, no decision has been taken on which sites will be included in next iteration of the Plan.

The public will have an opportunity to comment on the Local Plan (the Regulation 19 consultation) from late summer and in to the autumn. 

Cllr Simon Reay, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Conservation, says: “I want to thank the thousands of people who took part in our Local Plan consultation. With so many participants, it was one of the highest responses to any of our consultations in recent years.

“While residents have shared their views on their preferred development sites I want to stress, we will carefully consider their comments too. This is not just about the strength of numbers, but balancing up the issues raised by the public and other consultees. As we said from the outset, we will be guided by all the evidence before we review the Local Plan.”

The results of the Local Plan consultation will be considered by the Council’s Development and Conservation Advisory Committee at 7pm on Tuesday 26 March 2024. The meeting is open to the public and can be viewed on the Council’s YouTube channel available at www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/councilmeetings.

Anyone who wants to know more about the Local Plan can sign up for the latest updates at www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/plan2040.

According to the Government’s housing need formula, the Sevenoaks District requires 10,680 new homes from 2025 to 2040.

The final version of the Local Plan will be scrutinised by a Government Inspector at a public examination in the New Year.