Tonbridge Pauses Local Plan

Government announcement forces review of town plan

Government plans to make significant changes to national planning policy have prompted Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council to wait for more details before proceeding to the next stage of developing its Local Plan.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out the government’s intentions in a speech on 8 July. She said her intention was “to agree the urgent action needed to fix our planning system” and to set out changes to the National Planning Policy Framework by the end of July 2024 which will have a direct impact on the shape of Local Plans going forward.

The Tonbridge and Malling Local Plan is mid-way through its development. The plan will serve as a blueprint for how the borough develops between now and the 2040s. It will identify locations where new homes can be built, along with a range of policies on environmental protections and safeguards for areas and assets of historic importance.

Given the significance of the changes being proposed, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council says it will assess the implications of these changes once published before moving forward with the next stage in its Local Plan process.   

Leader of the council, Matt Boughton, said: “The government has very clearly indicated its intention to make a raft of significant changes to planning across the country.

As this will involve new national rules that all councils will be expected to follow, it seems inevitable that there will be a significant impact across a range of policy areas which could meaningfully alter the requirements for developing Local Plans.

Given we are in the process of developing our own Local Plan for Tonbridge and Malling, we need to know more about what the government is proposing before moving forward to the next stage.

While this is not ideal, it will be better to have certainty so we can move forward with a robust plan which both complies with national policy and delivers for the people of our borough.”

Source: TMBC