At an extraordinary full council meeting scheduled for tonight, councillors will be asked to approve TWBC’s pre-submission version of their Local Plan.
The document will set the agenda for development across the borough until 2038 and will replace the existing planning framework’.
The Local Plan, which has been delayed by six months due to the sheer number of comments received by the Council, has been drafted to meet strict government house building quotas of 678 houses per year.
Controversially, the Local Plan includes the creation of a garden village around Tudeley in Capel, where up to 2,600 homes are set to be built.
This proposal has led to the formation of protest group Save Capel, who want to block the development.
Paddock Wood is also expected to double in size with a further 4,000 homes earmarked for the existing town.
If voted through by councillors tonight, the pre-submission version of the Local Plan will go for another round of consultation before being submitted to the government’s Planning Inspector.
However, only ‘minor modifications’ are expected to be made following the consultation before the document is handed to the government for approval.
Neighbouring authorities Wealden District Council, Sevenoaks District Council and Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council have all had their Local Plans rejected following a failure to communicate with neighbouring councils over unmet housing needs.
