Local Plan Consultations

New Evidence Base documents (closed)

Consultation dates: 11 Sept 2024 - 23 Oct 2024

In support of Stage 3 hearing sessions undertaken in June and July 2024, the emerging Local Plan has been informed by the latest evidence provided by the Council, primarily focussed on transport and education.

As agreed with the Inspector during Week 2 of the Hearing Sessions in July 2024, the Council further undertook a revision of the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) and the associated viability evidence particularly where development is expected to provide and/or make contributions towards new infrastructure. The Council also committed to explaining how the approach to proposed development at Paddock Wood is consistent with national planning policy on flooding and flood risk.

Other evidence base documents that had been prepared or revised include a new and updated Gypsy, Traveller, and Travelling Show people Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTAA) dated June 2024 (Version 2), and other documents in relation to highways, education, infrastructure and associated matters. The development strategy for the Local Plan has consequently been revised as informed by these new evidence base reports.

There was a six-week public consultation starting on Wednesday 11 September 2024 and running until midnight on Wednesday 23 October 2024 (now closed) during which time representations could be made on the Council’s updated evidence-base documents.

Representations must be made in writing as set out below (under heading ‘How to make representations’) and received within the consultation period.

A hearing session on Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation needs and other matters arising from the public consultation will be held in-person at the Town Hall, Mount Pleasant Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1RS on Thursday 14 November 2024 (with a reserve session on Friday 15 November 2024), and will be live streamed via the council’s website (TunbridgeWells.Public-i.tv). Further details will be published in due course.

For more information about the Local Plan examination, please head to the council’s Examination of the Local Plan and latest news webpage.

Go to consultation

You can view the representations made to the recent New Evidence Base Documents consultation on our representations and next steps webpage.

How to view the consultation documents

Please see below for the consultation documents which are also viewable on the consultation portal.

Consultation Documents

Nature and scope of the public consultation

The public consultation was undertaken as part of the Examination process at the request of the Local Plan Inspector and, as such, this consultation was a non-statutory consultation (not covered by the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) ("the 2012 Regulations")).

However, the Inspector and the Council agreed that the public consultation should be similar to the Regulation 19 consultation procedure for making representations about a local plan which a local planning authority proposes to submit to the Secretary of State for independent examination. It should be noted that the same approach was also applied for the public consultation on the Council’s Response to the Inspector’s Initial Findings Letter earlier in 2024.

In due course, the examination Inspector will consider, amongst other matters, whether the Council’s proposed changes to the emerging Local Plan meet the four tests for soundness within paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2023, namely, that the revised Plan is:

• Positively prepared – providing a strategy which, as a minimum, seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs; and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development;
• Justified – an appropriate strategy, taking into account the reasonable alternatives, and based on proportionate evidence;
• Effective – deliverable over the plan period, and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters that have been dealt with rather than deferred, as evidenced by the statement of common ground; and
• Consistent with national policy – enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in this Framework and other statements of national planning policy, where relevant.

It was requested that any representations should address whether the proposed evidence base documents make the Local Plan legally compliant and sound. 

To assist the Inspector, representations made could suggest alternative or additional modifications to the Council’s revised Development Strategy to make the emerging Local Plan sound and legally compliant.

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