Planning Policy

Planning decisions are guided by national and local planning policies designed to ensure that development takes place in the right locations and delivers sustainable communities. While there is a recognised need for new homes, planning policy also requires decision-makers to consider issues such as environmental impact, infrastructure, agricultural land, biodiversity and the availability of more suitable alternative sites. Residents believe every proposal should be assessed against these policies through a transparent and evidence-based planning process.

National Planning Policy

Planning decisions should balance the need for new homes with the protection of the environment, local communities and important countryside. National policy does not require every greenfield site to be developed simply because housing is needed.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development means considering environmental, social and economic impacts together. New housing should only be supported where it represents the right development in the right place, with suitable infrastructure and minimal harm to the surrounding area.

Local Planning Matters

Every proposal must be assessed against local planning policies as well as national guidance. These policies help ensure that development reflects the character of the area while protecting important landscapes, habitats and community facilities.

What the Developer Says

“3.1 years of supply of housing.”

A shortfall in housing land supply is an important planning consideration, but it does not mean every proposed development should automatically be approved. Planning decisions must still consider environmental impacts, infrastructure, agricultural land, biodiversity and whether the proposal represents genuinely sustainable development.

“The site lies immediately adjacent to the defined settlement confines.”

Being next to an existing settlement does not automatically make a site suitable for development. Every proposal must be assessed on its own merits, taking into account its impact on the surrounding landscape, local services, wildlife, transport and the wider planning policies that apply.

“Suitable and deliverable sites.”

A site should only be considered suitable if it satisfies a broad range of planning considerations. Delivering homes is important, but so is protecting the countryside, supporting local infrastructure and ensuring development is in the right place for both current and future generations.

“A timely and necessary response.”

The planning system exists to balance competing priorities. While housing need is a significant factor, planning decisions must also consider local circumstances, evidence and long-term impacts. The key question is not simply whether homes are needed, but whether this is the right location for them.

Fact Check

✓ Folkestone & Hythe District Council states that bringing empty homes back into use reduces the need to build more new homes and is generally more environmentally sustainable than new development.¹

✓ The Council works with owners, offers financial assistance and can use enforcement powers to bring long-term empty properties back into use for local residents.¹

✓ Folkestone & Hythe District Council maintains a statutory Brownfield Register identifying previously developed land that is suitable, available and achievable for residential development.²

✓ Folkestone & Hythe’s adopted Local Plan requires development to conserve and enhance biodiversity, protect designated wildlife sites, priority habitats and protected species, and minimise harm to ecological networks.³

✓ The adopted Local Plan requires development to protect the character, beauty and distinctiveness of the district’s landscapes and countryside.³

✓ New Romney Town Council’s Strategic Plan includes an objective to carry out a local housing needs survey so future development reflects the needs of local residents.⁴

✓ The Town Council has adopted a Planning Policy Statement committing to the preservation of local open spaces.⁴