Next week’s Planning Policy Committee will include a report which sets out the removal of land to the west of Edenbridge from consideration as a potential location for a Garden Village, in the creation of the Local Plan for the Tandridge district. The Council continues the approach of removing a location from consideration when it is clear it simply cannot be delivered. Land at Tollsworth and Alderstead Farm, Chaldon, has previously been removed due to access and landscape issues which could not be overcome or mitigated.

The location at Edenbridge could only be delivered through joint working with Sevenoaks District Council, which recently stipulated the location is not being considered in its own emerging development strategy. Duty to Co-operate discussions will continue with Sevenoaks District Council on wider strategic matters, including the ability to meet housing needs, but its strategic planning position means there is no prospect of this site coming forward. In addition, there are a number of issues with this location including its ability to deliver sufficiently in the plan period to 2033 and the poor access to the location by road.

Each of the remaining locations put forward for consideration for a Garden Village development continues to be subject to rigorous assessment and evidence gathering. The planning team is currently analysing the feedback from the recent Local Plan: Garden Villages Consultation, which will form part of the evidence the Council is using to prepare the next draft of its Local Plan. The Council will once again invite consultation on the plan before making any final amendments and submitting it to the Planning Inspectorate for examination.

Councillor Peter Bond, Chairman of the Planning Policy Committee, said: “The land west of Edenbridge was put forward for consideration and we have applied the necessary rigorous assessments. However, we believe there is now sufficient evidence for this location to be discounted as a reasonable alternative and no longer considered. We want to deliver a Garden Village for existing and future residents, so they can benefit from the new and improved infrastructure it would bring including roads, school, shops and health facilities and are committed to protecting our valued Green Belt land in the wider area. The location we put forward has to deliver all these benefits for our residents.”