Local Plan Review Overview

The Tunbridge Wells Local Plan 2020-2038 (adopted by the Council in December 2025) includes a commitment to starting a Local Plan review within six months of adoption of the Plan (this is set out within Policy STR1 The Development Strategy policy).

The Council is now beginning a review of the Tunbridge Wells Borough Local Plan setting the framework for how the borough will grow and prosper over the coming years. The Local Plan Review will cover the period 2029 - 2044 and be undertaken in accordance with the Government’s new plan-making Regulations which came into effect in March 2026.

A timetable for the review was published on the 26 June 2026 and will be regularly updated on the Council’s website. The Council also published its formal ‘Notice of Intention’ to commence plan-making on the 26 June 2026. An early Scoping Consultation is planned to commence on 14 July running for a period of four weeks until 11 August 2026. Further updates and guidance on how to get involved at each stage of the plan-making process will be provided.

Call for Sites

As part of the Local Plan review, the Council is undertaking a ‘call for sites’ exercise. The main purpose of this is to enable land to be submitted to the Council for assessment to establish whether it could be a potential site allocation in the Local Plan Review as it progresses. Suitable sites are needed to assist with meeting the development needs of the borough (including new homes, new jobs and other land uses) going forward. Residents, landowners, developers, community groups and others are invited to submit potential sites across the borough for consideration for a range of development types and uses.

Do you have a site you would like to submit? If so, the Call for Sites runs from 11 May 2026 until midnight on 3 August 2026 and further details about how to do this can be found on the Call for Sites webpage.