Sevenoaks
Exceptional landscape quality and easy access to London make Sevenoaks a sought-after place to live, but Green Belt policies limit the scope for new house building to brownfield land, which is in limited supply. The consequence is ever-increasing pressure to relax the rules – and a constant challenge for CPRE.
While the north of the district is crossed by major roads (including the M25, M20 and M26), most much of the district is still rural and reasonably tranquil, though aircraft noise is a growing problem. The following issues are currently of particular concern to CPRE Sevenoaks:
Fort Halstead
The Sevenoaks committee is waiting for a planning application from the developers Hines for the enormous site at Fort Halstead. The company’s scoping document describes this as being big enough to accommodate 1,500 houses and 1.25 million square feet of commercial development. The rumour is that it will be a model of ‘green thinking’.
Local Development Framework
Faced with a superannuated local plan, Sevenoaks was amongst the very first councils to embark on the LDF process, but it has fallen behind, partly because of staff changes but also because it became evident that other councils were having difficulty in getting core strategies approved, and it seemed wise to learn from their experience. We shall therefore not see the draft strategy until September.
Green Belt housing
A current Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) consultation asks a panel of respondents this, rather tendentious, question about housing:
Do you think Sevenoaks District Council should release Green Belt land to help meet the housing needs of its residents?
Yes
Yes, only if there is no other land supply available and there is a proven need
No
Tarmac quarry
KCC is expecting a planning application at any moment from Tarmac, seeking permission to extend its quarrying operations at Sevenoaks into a new area. Environmental issues will include the impact on air quality and groundwater but we shall also be concerned about the landscape impact and the effect the extension would have on views from the adjacent AONB. Although the site is in the Green Belt, PPG2 more or less waves it through, though we shall have plenty to say about restoration.