Sevenoaks Town Council recommend refusal for second time on outline planning application for Sevenoaks Quarry (Tarmac) proposed development

Published: 29 November 2022

At the Sevenoaks Town Council’s Planning Meeting held on 28^th November 2022 Town Councillors considered a second outline planning application for Sevenoaks Quarry (Tarmac) proposed development (Application reference 22/00512/OUT).

The outline planning application is for: up to 800 residential dwellings (Class C3), up to 150 residential institutional units (Class C2), business, retail, leisure and sports uses (Class E); new primary school (Class F1); community uses (Class F2), re-use of former Oast House and existing barn off Childsbridge Lane, green open spaces including parks, play spaces, ecological areas and woodlands; vehicular accesses from Bat and Ball Road, Childsbridge Lane and Farm Road; associated infrastructure, groundworks and demolition; with all matters reserved.

The emerging Sevenoaks Town Council’s Neighbourhood Plan (SNP) is supportive of the principle of providing enhanced green, blue and other community benefits within Sevenoaks parish boundary, e.g., exceptional circumstances* on the Sevenoaks Quarry (Tarmac) site which is understood would require some development to support these.

This is a second application which is in outline only and it is recognised and understood that further detail will come with subsequent Reserved Matters and although the second application includes some improvements on the first application Sevenoaks Town Council does not believe it addresses the important strategic issues for Sevenoaks Town Council to conclude it is in the best interest of its residents.

The Sevenoaks Town Council therefore recommends REFUSAL until such times as the strategic matters are satisfactorily addressed in a formally submitted new application. These include the following, with full details available in the Sevenoaks Town Council Planning Committee Minutes 28^th November 2022 at www.sevenoakstown.gov.uk :

Health Care Provision
Development Height Parameters
Setting of Oast House
Transport and Movement Strategy
Access and Phasing
Bat & Ball junction
Development phasing and open space
Design Review
Affordable Housing
Exceptional Circumstances.

Sevenoaks Quarry (Tarmac) is currently designated as Green Belt. In order to obtain planning permission for development in needs to demonstrate ‘Exceptional Circumstances’. Sevenoaks Town Council believes as a minimum that the ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ should include the *following criteria for the parish of Sevenoaks to enable the removal of green belt allocation:

New Leisure Lake/centre for water sports.
Mixed use lake-side facilities, including access.
Provision of Oast House for community use.
Lake-side park and associated open green space for leisure, drainage, and nature.
New pedestrian and cycle connections within and beyond the site.
Improved linkages to improved community infrastructure around Bat and Ball station and employment opportunities on the Vestry estate (as part of the Northern Sevenoaks Masterplan).
Guaranteed 40% minimum Affordable Housing
Contributions towards education and health facilities; and
Improvements to Bat & Ball Junction at the commencement of development

Sevenoaks Town Council does not make final decisions in relation to planning applications it can only make recommendations to the planning authority which is Sevenoaks District Council.

Linda Larter MBE

Chief Executive / Town Clerk

29^th November 2022.

Email: townclerk@sevenoakstown.gov.uk