Pre-Submission Draft of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39

Update May 2024

We have now submitted the Minerals and Waste Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate. Our submitted Local Plan does not include the Gallagher Oaken Wood site, Aylesford which is part of the separate Mineral Sites Plan work.

We should expect to hear details of our appointed Planning Inspector and timescales for the Examination within 6 weeks.

The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 (KMWLP) was adopted in July 2016 and with some limited changes adopted in September 2020 resulting from the Early Partial Review (EPR). The separate Kent Mineral Sites Plan, which allocates three areas of land suitable for development associated with the extraction of sand and gravel, was also adopted in 2020. Together these documents form part of the Development Plan which represents the planning policy framework for minerals and waste development in Kent.

The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) state Local Plans should be reviewed at least once every five years to assess whether they need updating and should then be updated as necessary.

A statutory five-year review of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan was completed which found that, while much of the Local Plan is still relevant, some updates are needed to respond to, amongst other things, changes in government policy and legislation since 2016.

Revisions are therefore proposed to the adopted KMWLP including changes to its Vision, Strategic Objectives, policies and supporting text. These revisions are set out in the Pre-Submission Draft of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39. This is the document that the County Council intends to submit for examination by a Planning Inspector appointed on behalf of the Secretary of State.

The proposed revisions have been subject to an initial consultation with key stakeholders followed by three public consultations since 2021. A Consultation Statement has been prepared which summarises the consultations that have taken place and shows how we have taken into account the comments we have received. The Consultation Statement can be found in the 'Documents' section.

Tell us your views

We are now inviting your comments on the soundness and legal compliance of the Pre-Submission Draft of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39. This is in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

All comments received on the Pre-Submission Draft of the Plan will be forwarded to the Secretary of State for consideration as part of the Independent Examination.

Before commenting on the Pre-Submission Draft of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39, we strongly advise you to read the Guidance on making a Representation and the Statement of Representations Procedure. This consultation specifically invites comments on soundness and legal compliance and the guidance note explains the soundness tests and statutory plan making requirements relevant to this consultation.

There is also a range of background evidence documents to support the Local Plan changes. These are:

Should you wish to view a hard copy of the consultation documents, a copy is available at Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday for the duration of the consultation.

You can comment on the legal compliance and soundness of the Pre-Submission Draft of the Local Plan by completing the representation form in the Document section.

You can upload the form or your written response by using the upload option below. You can also email or post response to:

  • Email: mwlp@kent.gov.uk
  • Address: Minerals and Waste Planning Policy Team, Planning Applications Group, Invicta House, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1XX.

You may also find it helpful to read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Update May 2024

We have now submitted the Minerals and Waste Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate. Our submitted Local Plan does not include the Gallagher Oaken Wood site, Aylesford which is part of the separate Mineral Sites Plan work.

We should expect to hear details of our appointed Planning Inspector and timescales for the Examination within 6 weeks.

The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 (KMWLP) was adopted in July 2016 and with some limited changes adopted in September 2020 resulting from the Early Partial Review (EPR). The separate Kent Mineral Sites Plan, which allocates three areas of land suitable for development associated with the extraction of sand and gravel, was also adopted in 2020. Together these documents form part of the Development Plan which represents the planning policy framework for minerals and waste development in Kent.

The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) state Local Plans should be reviewed at least once every five years to assess whether they need updating and should then be updated as necessary.

A statutory five-year review of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan was completed which found that, while much of the Local Plan is still relevant, some updates are needed to respond to, amongst other things, changes in government policy and legislation since 2016.

Revisions are therefore proposed to the adopted KMWLP including changes to its Vision, Strategic Objectives, policies and supporting text. These revisions are set out in the Pre-Submission Draft of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39. This is the document that the County Council intends to submit for examination by a Planning Inspector appointed on behalf of the Secretary of State.

The proposed revisions have been subject to an initial consultation with key stakeholders followed by three public consultations since 2021. A Consultation Statement has been prepared which summarises the consultations that have taken place and shows how we have taken into account the comments we have received. The Consultation Statement can be found in the 'Documents' section.

Tell us your views

We are now inviting your comments on the soundness and legal compliance of the Pre-Submission Draft of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39. This is in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

All comments received on the Pre-Submission Draft of the Plan will be forwarded to the Secretary of State for consideration as part of the Independent Examination.

Before commenting on the Pre-Submission Draft of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39, we strongly advise you to read the Guidance on making a Representation and the Statement of Representations Procedure. This consultation specifically invites comments on soundness and legal compliance and the guidance note explains the soundness tests and statutory plan making requirements relevant to this consultation.

There is also a range of background evidence documents to support the Local Plan changes. These are:

Should you wish to view a hard copy of the consultation documents, a copy is available at Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday for the duration of the consultation.

You can comment on the legal compliance and soundness of the Pre-Submission Draft of the Local Plan by completing the representation form in the Document section.

You can upload the form or your written response by using the upload option below. You can also email or post response to:

  • Email: mwlp@kent.gov.uk
  • Address: Minerals and Waste Planning Policy Team, Planning Applications Group, Invicta House, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1XX.

You may also find it helpful to read our Frequently Asked Questions.