West Kent Local News
Aylesford High Street, one of the areas newly brought under the HMO planning controls (file photo). Image credit: Robin Webster / Geograph / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Kings Hill, Larkfield, Aylesford and Walderslade Added to New HMO Planning Rules
Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council has widened new rules on converting houses into shared homes - HMOs - to cover four more areas: Kings Hill, Larkfield, Aylesford and Walderslade. The rules already applied in parts of Tonbridge, Snodland and East Malling from last month, but the council has now admitted that decision left out areas its own evidence said should be included - and has moved to fix it.
What's changing
Normally, turning an ordinary house into a small HMO - home to three to six unrelated tenants - doesn't need planning permission. The council's new rules remove that automatic right in named areas, so landlords there must now apply for permission first. From today, that applies in Kings Hill, Larkfield, Aylesford and Walderslade too, alongside a wider stretch of Snodland. Existing HMOs aren't affected - only new conversions.
Where the rules now apply
Covered since 6 October - Tonbridge, Snodland, East MallingAdded today - Kings Hill, Larkfield, Aylesford, Walderslade
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark each named area, not the exact boundary - check the council's own maps for whether a specific address is covered.
Why the area has grown
When the council's Cabinet approved the original rules on 6 October, the maps attached only covered part of the ground its own evidence paper had actually examined. Having spotted the gap, the council has acted quickly to close it, worried that landlords in the missed areas could otherwise rush through conversions before it was covered. The new rules take legal effect from 11 November.
Have your say
A public consultation on the whole scheme is open until 27 November 2026. Residents and landlords anywhere in the affected areas, including the four added today, can comment by emailing planning.applications@tmbc.gov.uk or writing to Development Management, Gibson Building, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, ME19 4LZ.
