Kent
England's 'Garden of England', a county of hop fields, orchards, white cliffs, and historic castles on the South East coast.
Planning Permission in Kent
Planning permission in Kent is obtained from the relevant district or borough council. Medway Council acts as a separate unitary authority for the Medway towns. Kent County Council has no role in determining residential planning applications but administers minerals and waste planning and has a strategic overview of the county's transport and infrastructure.
Canterbury City Council's planning pages provide access to its adopted Canterbury District Local Plan to 2031. Policy DS1 (Design and the Built Environment) is the primary design policy, requiring development to demonstrate high design quality that is sensitive to the character and appearance of the area. Canterbury has developed detailed supplementary planning guidance for several of its historic areas, including Conservation Area Character Statements that provide granular design guidance for development within and adjacent to Canterbury's extensive conservation areas.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council covers Royal Tunbridge Wells and its rural hinterland, including the High Weald AONB. The borough's Core Strategy and Development Management Policies are the primary planning framework. Design Policy EN1 addresses design quality across the borough. Within the High Weald AONB, the High Weald AONB Management Plan and its Design Guide are material considerations alongside the Local Plan policies.
Community Infrastructure Levy is charged by most Kent district and borough councils. Rates vary significantly across the county, reflecting differences in land values between the high-demand west Kent and Sevenoaks areas and the lower-demand coastal and rural areas of east Kent. The self-build CIL exemption is available from all charging authorities for qualifying applicants who intend to occupy the completed home as their principal residence for at least three years.
Sevenoaks District Council's planning environment is dominated by Green Belt policies. The council's Core Strategy sets out its approach to development in this highly constrained area, focusing growth on the defined settlement boundaries of Sevenoaks, Swanley and other key settlements while maintaining strict Green Belt controls in the rural areas. Self-builders in Sevenoaks District must be particularly careful to identify whether their chosen site is within the settlement boundary and therefore potentially outside the Green Belt.
Validation requirements across Kent's district councils are broadly consistent. Core documents required for a full planning application include a completed application form, location and site plans, a design and access statement, and the statutory fee. Additional site-specific requirements include heritage impact assessments for Canterbury and Faversham's historic areas, coastal erosion and flood risk assessments for coastal sites in Thanet and Shepway, ecological surveys for sites in the Kent Downs or High Weald AONBs, and landscape and visual impact assessments for open countryside locations.
Canterbury City Council's planning pages provide access to its adopted Canterbury District Local Plan to 2031. Policy DS1 (Design and the Built Environment) is the primary design policy, requiring development to demonstrate high design quality that is sensitive to the character and appearance of the area. Canterbury has developed detailed supplementary planning guidance for several of its historic areas, including Conservation Area Character Statements that provide granular design guidance for development within and adjacent to Canterbury's extensive conservation areas.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council covers Royal Tunbridge Wells and its rural hinterland, including the High Weald AONB. The borough's Core Strategy and Development Management Policies are the primary planning framework. Design Policy EN1 addresses design quality across the borough. Within the High Weald AONB, the High Weald AONB Management Plan and its Design Guide are material considerations alongside the Local Plan policies.
Community Infrastructure Levy is charged by most Kent district and borough councils. Rates vary significantly across the county, reflecting differences in land values between the high-demand west Kent and Sevenoaks areas and the lower-demand coastal and rural areas of east Kent. The self-build CIL exemption is available from all charging authorities for qualifying applicants who intend to occupy the completed home as their principal residence for at least three years.
Sevenoaks District Council's planning environment is dominated by Green Belt policies. The council's Core Strategy sets out its approach to development in this highly constrained area, focusing growth on the defined settlement boundaries of Sevenoaks, Swanley and other key settlements while maintaining strict Green Belt controls in the rural areas. Self-builders in Sevenoaks District must be particularly careful to identify whether their chosen site is within the settlement boundary and therefore potentially outside the Green Belt.
Validation requirements across Kent's district councils are broadly consistent. Core documents required for a full planning application include a completed application form, location and site plans, a design and access statement, and the statutory fee. Additional site-specific requirements include heritage impact assessments for Canterbury and Faversham's historic areas, coastal erosion and flood risk assessments for coastal sites in Thanet and Shepway, ecological surveys for sites in the Kent Downs or High Weald AONBs, and landscape and visual impact assessments for open countryside locations.
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