Sevenoaks Town Council raises concerns over potential building heights explored in Local Plan proposed allocation of Sevenoaks Station
Published: 03 December 2025
Sevenoaks Town Council has raised its serious concerns as to the potential building heights that have been explored in the District Council’s proposed mixed-use housing allocation for
Sevenoaks Station and Car Park. Sevenoaks Station and Car Park is one of several significant housing sites proposed for allocation within the Sevenoaks District Council’s draft Local Plan, which is currently out to Regulation 18 Public Consultation.
As the Local Planning Authority, it is the District Council’s responsibility to prepare a Local Plan which sets out local planning policies for the entire District as well as identifying housing sites which can meet the District’s significant housing targets set by national government – this target being 17,175 by 2032.
As part of its growing Evidence Base, Sevenoaks District Council has been preparing Development Briefs for a number of key proposed housing sites, including Sevenoaks Station and Car Park. One of the roles of these documents is to explore optimum housing density and height options capable of being delivered at each site, taking into account factors such as proximity to key infrastructure (such as shops, open spaces, public transport) as well as surrounding area (such as existing building heights, protected views to and from open countryside, defining characteristics to protect).
Sevenoaks Town Council recognises the need to explore higher housing densities in the most sustainable locations, however was particularly concerned to discover that the building heights explored within Sevenoaks Station’s Development Brief go up to 10+ storeys. This is contrary to the height guidance provided for this site within the adopted Sevenoaks Town Neighbourhood Plan, which recognises the significant development opportunity at Sevenoaks Station and recommends a scale of typically four to six storeys.
Sevenoaks Town Council has raised its objection to the substantial building heights, both in its 2024 response to the previous iteration of the Local Plan when they were first proposed, as well as in its draft response to the current consultation. It would urge residents however, to review the content of any relevant Development Briefs local to their area, particularly as these expand in significant further detail as to how the housing numbers proposed within Policy ST2 would be facilitated within the site, as well as sometimes expanding on those promoted within the draft Local Plan.
Resources:
For more information, please contact:
Georgie Elliston – Planning Committee Clerk
01732 459953 – planning@sevenoakstown.gov.uk
03/12/2025