Overview

The new Local Plan for Tunbridge Wells borough will provide the basis for determining the suitability of development proposals across the borough to 2038.

Much has changed since 2010, when the current strategic plan (the Core Strategy) was adopted, in particular the increased levels of housing and economic development need.

The role of the Local Plan is to set out the spatial vision and strategic objectives for the borough, as well as the development strategy needed to meet those objectives. It details overarching place shaping policies for each parish and settlement within the borough, as well as specific site allocations to deliver the strategy, and detailed development management policies to be applied to all new developments across the borough.

It aims to strike a balance between:

• growth to meet current and future housing needs
• safeguarding the borough’s important natural and historic environments

Stages of the Local Plan

As indicated on the flow chart below, the new Local Plan has undergone four periods of public consultation: an Issues and Options (Regulation 18) stage, a Draft Local Plan (Regulation 18) stage, a Pre-Submission version of the Local Plan (Regulation 19), and a public consultation focussing on the proposed changes to the Submission Local Plan following the receipt of the Inspector’s Initial Findings in November 2022.

Following Stage 3 hearing sessions in June and July 2024 and the receipt of the Inspector’s Letter dated 22nd July 2024 [ID-021], the Council undertook a fifth consultation, having consulted on a suite of new evidence base documents, and people were invited to make comments through a six-week public consultation from Wednesday 11 September 2024 to midnight Wednesday the 23 October 2024, further details of which can be found on the consultation on New Evidence Base Documents webpage. Following the consultation, the Inspector examining the Local Plan will hold an additional examination hearing session.

The hearing session will take place on Thursday 14 November 2024, with a reserve hearing session Friday 15 of November if needed.

After the hearing sessions have been completed, there will be an additional consultation on Main Modifications in due course.

Further detail about these previous stages of the Local Plan is available.

The Local Plan was submitted on 1 November 2021, along with all supporting documents, to the Secretary of State for independent examination. The Local Plan remains subject to this examination stage.

Further information, including details of the upcoming Stage 3 Local Plan examination hearings, is available on the Examination of the Local Plan page of the website.

The process and overall timetable for the Local Plan, as well as for other planning documents, is contained in the council’s latest Local Development Scheme or the Core Documents page where both earlier and updated versions of the Local Development Scheme can be found.

When adopted, the new Local Plan will replace the existing 2006 Local Plan, the Core Strategy (2010) and the Site Allocations Local Plan (2016).