Houses on Green Belt

Vast house building plans are being laid out to increase the population of the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling by one third in the next 17 years.

A public consultation on the latest draft Local Plan is set to open on 10th November after it was approved by a council committee on Tuesday night.

The new Plan will encourage almost 8,000 homes to be built on green belt land, which was previously protected.

The council’s Conservative leader, Matt Boughton said: “The government have mandated the borough to deliver approximately 19,000 new homes over the next 18 years. This isn’t a choice for the Council. It is the Labour government taking a hugely interventionist approach towards planning".

Matt Boughton (pictured below) continued: “I don’t support their Planning policy, but they are the government and this is what they have told us we have to do".

Matt Boughton added: “So, under the rules, delivering a Local Plan is the only way we can meet the challenge of delivering the homes this government tells us we must, whilst managing the impact on greenfield areas and preserving the character of our towns and villages. The plan also deals with providing infrastructure needed to ensure local transport links and services are not overloaded.

Listen to Conservative Council leader Matt Boughton here:

Matt Boughton continued: "The plan will evolve in light of further work to identify more sites and the public comments we receive in a consultation Councillors are being asked to agree to. This is not the final version of the plan."

His statement ended: "There will be a number of sites included within the plan that make many uncomfortable – me too. Of the four villages I represent, I’m particularly concerned about the impact on East Peckham, but there are implications in Wateringbury too. I’ll be fighting for the best outcome from this process for my community, as I know all Councillors will, regardless of their party."

71% of the borough falls within the green belt and the council says it's not possible to meet the central government targets without releasing 404 hectares of green belt for housing and a further six hectares for employment.

Tonbridge and Malling has been without a valid Local Plan since its last attempt was rejected by a government planning inspector in 2019.

This has allowed a presumption in favour of developer schemes, so a valid Local Plan should help the council to determine where new housing should go.

The new plan has identified seven “major” sites, which, between them, will accommodate over 6,500 homes.

Major proposed sites in the plan include (over 500 units): 

• Tonbridge, including Hilden Park - 3,214 

• Borough Green – 2,050 

• Medway Gap – 1,961 

• Snodland and Ham Hill – 1,300 

• Kings Hill – 1,220 

• Hildenborough– 706 

• Aylesford Village – 683 

Smaller villages will also take a share: East Malling 105, East Peckham & Branbridges 446, Hadlow 371, Hale Street 140, Ightham 18, Platt 15, Ryarsh 20, Wateringbury 30, Wouldham 40, Wrotham 25

The new government-set target in the Local Plan will take the number of households to 73,391 - a 37% increase. It means building 19,818 homes, which is 1,097 homes per year.

Cllr Mike Taylor, who's Cabinet Member for Planning (pictured below), said on Tuesday night: “Now that the committee has voted in favour of consulting, we’ll be asking everyone to get involved and share their views from 10 November. This is a crucial opportunity to help shape the future of Tonbridge and Malling.

Cllr Taylor continued: "The Local Plan is about meeting the needs of our communities, protecting what makes our borough special, and planning for a sustainable future. If new evidence comes forward during or after the consultation, the council can make adjustments before the next stage of the plan.” 

Further details, including how to participate in the consultation, will be published on the council’s website - www.tmbc.gov.uk/localplan.