Have your say! Sevenoaks District Council Local Plan 2040

Have your say on Sevenoaks District Council's new Local Plan. The plan includes proposed new housing development in the district. 

Sevenoaks District Council has set out 4 options for development in their Local Plan. They have set a housing target of 10,680 new homes over 15 years (to 2040). It is not specified in the document (that we can see) whether this is a government-led target or just a projection of population growth.

This is from the Plan 2040 document:
"Options
1.22 This Plan sets out three development scenarios or growth options or spatial strategies. All of the options include, as a baseline, the sites which were found to be suitable through the Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) process, including sites within settlements and on the
edge of higher-tier settlements, in the Green Belt.
1.23 The options revolve around sites which are located in both the Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and whether it is preferable to allocate a number of smaller sites, or one large site, or a combination of the two.
1.24 Baseline - sites which were found to be suitable through the Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) process. This includes sites within settlements and in the
Green Belt on the edge of higher-tier settlements (towns and service settlements), which have the services, facilities and connections, to promote a sustainable pattern of development.

Option 1 – Baseline sites plus Multiple Sites on the edge of higher tier settlements (Sevenoaks, Westerham and West Kingsdown) which are located in both the Green Belt and AONB.
Option 2 – Baseline sites plus Stand-alone Settlement in a single location, mindful that there are wide ranging benefits to strategic
growth, as set out at NPPF paragraph 73, including co-ordinated infrastructure investment.
Option 3 - Baseline sites plus Combined AONB/GB sites on the edge of higher tier settlements (Sevenoaks, Westerham and West Kingsdown) plus stand-alone settlement."

The Baseline option provides 8,500 new homes and does not involve building on Green Belt or AONB.
Option 1 provides 9,500 new homes and does include some development on Green Belt or AONB on the edge of existing settlements.
Option 2 provides 11,000 new homes and includes the development at Pedham Place which is Green Belt and AONB land. Interestingly this is not ringed in green and yellow on the map.
Option 3 provides 12,000 new homes and combines options 1 and 2 with building on Green Belt/AONB adjacent to larger settlements, plus the Pedham Place development (again not marked as GB/AONB on the map).

The proposed development at Pedham Place would impact Eynsford residents. Most of the development of 2500 would be in Eynsford parish with the rest in Farningham. In addition it includes new work spaces, leisure facilities, schools, doctors and possibly a new rugby stadium. As well as destroying an important part of the Green Belt and AONB, thus undoing decades of carbon capture, biodiversity and wildlife, it would bring a huge number of people and cars into this area with access from the A20. Access onto Crockenhill Lane, a narrow country lane, would be inevitable too.

Have your say by responding to the consultation before 11th January and choosing your preferred option https://engagement.sevenoaks.g...

You can respond online via the website link below, or you can write or email in with your comments.https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/plan2040Here are the details for Pedham Placehttps://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/.../proposals_for_pedham_placeThe consultation is open from Thursday 23 November 2023 and closes on Thursday 11 January 2024.Here is the link to the online survey https://engagement.sevenoaks.gov.uk/strategic.../da474463/

Sevenoaks District Council has organised some ‘pop-up’ sessions where members of the public can discuss the consultation document with officers from the Council’s Strategic Planning team:

Monday 4th December 2023 (4:30-7:30pm) : Sevenoaks District Council offices, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, TN13 1HG

Wednesday 6th December 2023 (4:30-7:30pm) : Eden Centre, Four Elms Road, Edenbridge, TN8 6BY

Monday 11th December 2023 (4:30-7:30pm) : White Oak Leisure Centre, Hilda May Avenue, Swanley, BR8 7BT

Tuesday 12th December 2023 (4:30-7:30pm) : Village Hall, London Road, West Kingsdown, TN15 6BZ

Wednesday 13th December 2023 (4:30-7:30pm) : The John Fryth Room, St. Mary the Virgin Church, The Green, Westerham, TN16 1AS

Thursday 4th January 2024 (4:30-7:30pm) : Farningham Village Hall, High Street, Farningham, DA4 0DH

Tuesday 9th January 2024 (4:30-7:30pm) : Sevenoaks Leisure Centre, Buckhurst Lane, Sevenoaks, TN13 1LW