I have spoken many times before about the need to protect our much loved Green Belt, and having an agreed local plan is pivotal in achieving this.
Earlier this month I held an online meeting with the Sevenoaks District Council Cabinet Meeting responsible for planning, Julia Thornton, her Deputy Cllr Simon Reay, along with the council’s Chief Planning Officer and Strategic Planning Manager to discuss how the new Local Plan is progressing.
The first stage of the consultation has now closed, but there remains a further consultation to take place in the Autumn, with a final pre-submission consultation in the Spring of 2024 - after which the proposed Local Plan will be ready for presentation to the Planning Inspector later that year.
Whilst the council are having to consult under the current planning laws, I am hopeful that by the end of the process the changes to the planning system being proposed in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill will have come into force, and that the Duty to Cooperate with neighbouring authorities (the unfair reason the previous Plan was held up) will have been dispensed with. This Bill will also bring in design codes which I am particularly keen on, as I am anxious that new development is in keeping with local surroundings.
I will keep you all updated.
