Tunbridge Wells Council Raises Formal Concerns Over Sevenoaks' New Local Plan

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has formally raised concerns about neighbouring Sevenoaks District Council's new Local Plan - not to block it, but to flag gaps its own officers think need answering before the plan goes to independent examination. The two headline issues: a large new housing site that residents have never had a chance to comment on, and doubts about whether there's enough water to supply everything Sevenoaks is planning to build.

Sevenoaks is currently consulting on the "Regulation 19" version of its Local Plan 2042, the final stage before the plan goes to a Government-appointed inspector. We've covered the plan's overall shape before, including Kent Wildlife Trust's campaign against a 1,500-home site next to Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve. As a neighbouring authority, Tunbridge Wells has a statutory role in commenting on cross-boundary impacts, and its planning officers have now published a formal response ahead of the 17 September deadline.

The Plan now includes a new allocation at Broke Hill Golf Course, near Knockholt - a Green Belt site that TWBC's report says "has not previously been consulted on" at any earlier stage. The exact number of homes proposed there is oddly inconsistent even within TWBC's own report - it's given as 714 homes in one section and 741 in another - and our own coverage of Sevenoaks' plan back in June cited a still-different figure of 810, suggesting the number has been revised more than once as the plan has developed. Whatever the precise total, TWBC notes the site is only included "on a provisional basis" while a live planning application on the land is still being decided, meaning the housing supply could shrink further if that application is refused.

TWBC's strongest concern is about water. It points out that South East Water's current supply plan, WRMP24, "does not fully reflect the scale of growth proposed in the Sevenoaks District Local Plan" because it's based on 2022 population projections - well before the current housing numbers were set. This lines up directly with concerns raised in Parliament earlier this year, when Tonbridge MP Tom Tugendhat told a Westminster Hall debate that South East Water itself had said it couldn't supply the homes required across West Kent without major investment. TWBC also flags that the water network serving the proposed 2,600-home Pedham Place site specifically has "limited" capacity that still needs addressing.

TWBC also wants more detail on how Sevenoaks plans to handle traffic. Of 27 road junctions assessed for the plan, four are flagged as needing improvement - including junctions 3 and 6 of the M25 - but TWBC says full mitigation details haven't been provided, particularly given how close the M25's Junction 3 is to the large Pedham Place development.

It's worth being clear about the tone here: TWBC's report is broadly supportive of Sevenoaks' overall approach, including its housing, Gypsy and Traveller, and employment targets - these are specific, technical objections about evidence gaps rather than opposition to the plan as a whole. TWBC's comments are due to be submitted to Sevenoaks by 17 September, the same day the wider Regulation 19 consultation window closes to the public. Source: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council