Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024 to 2039
This webpage provides details of the independent examination of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-39 that took place from 2024 to 2025.
The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024 to 2039 was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination on the 17 May 2024.
Following the independent examination and receipt of the Inspector’s Report in February 2025, Kent County Council resolved to adopt the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024 to 2039 at its meeting of full Council on the 13 March 2025.
You can read the associated adoption documents below:
- Planning Inspector’s Report - February 2025 (PDF, 746.8 KB)
- Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024 to 2039 (PDF, 10.3 MB)
- Regulation 26 Notice of Adoption - March 2025 (PDF, 183.1 KB)
- Sustainability Appraisal (Strategic Environmental Assessment) Post Adoption Statement (PDF, 679.2 KB)
- Committee Report to Full Council - March 2025.
With the adoption of the Plan, the examination of the Local Plan has now closed.
Details relating to planning policy work for mineral and waste matters can be found on our Minerals and Waste Planning Policy page.
You can jump to specific parts of the examination below:
- Examination overview
- Latest news and updates
- Examination documents
- Examination library
- Hearing sessions
- Hearing statements
- MWLP Submission Version Representations (Regulation 19/20)
- Main Modifications Consultation
Examination overview
Planning Inspector
Inspector Joanne Burston BSc MA MRTPI AIPROW from the Planning Inspectorate has been appointed by the Secretary of State to carry out the independent examination of the Kent Minerals and Waste Plan 2024 to 2039. The Inspector’s task is to consider the soundness of the submitted plan and whether it has been prepared in accordance with the legal and procedural requirements.
The Inspector will consider the comments made at the Regulation 19/20 stage and will identify various matters, issues and questions to consider as part of the examination.
Planning Inspectorate’s procedural guide for local plan examinations
The Planning Inspectorate have produced a procedural guide aimed at all those involved in the process and concerned with the procedural aspects of examining a local plan.
Planning Inspectorate’s short guide on taking part in examinations
The Planning Inspectorate have produced a short guide aimed at those who might be participating in a local plan examination for the first time.
Programme Officer
Louise St John Howe has been appointed as Programme Officer to organise and administer the examination, including organisation of the public hearing sessions and dealing with all procedural matters. The Programme Officer is independent from KCC and reports to the appointed examination inspector.
Contact details
All queries relating to the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan examination should be sent to the Programme Officer through email, phone or post:
- louise@poservices.co.uk
- Phone
- 07789 486419
- Post
-
PO Box 10965,
Sudbury,
Suffolk CO10 3BF.
Latest news and updates
12 February 2025
The Inspector’s Final Report has been delivered to the Council and this is the formal end of the Examination process. Any further queries concerning the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024 to 2039 should now be addressed to Kent County Council.
Email mwlp@kent.gov.uk to contact the Minerals and Waste Planning Policy Team.
The Planning Inspectorate would like your feedback about the examination. If you were involved in the examination because you made comments in writing and/or you took part in a hearing sessions, then they would be very pleased if you could fill in this short survey. Any comments you make will be confidential.
11 December 2024
The responses received to the Main Modifications consultation are now available and can be viewed under the Main Modifications heading.
8 November 2024
The Council has submitted an updated Kent Minerals and Waste Local Development Scheme, and this can be viewed in the examination documents at ED35 (PDF, 2.3 MB).
17 October 2024
The council’s consultation on the proposed Main Modifications to the Kent County Council Minerals and Waste Local Plan opened on Thursday 17 October and closes at midnight on Thursday 28 November. Find out more about the consultation and how to respond.
1 October 2024
A Statement of Common Ground between Kent County Council and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has been submitted and can be viewed at ED32 (PDF, 801.3 KB) in the Examination documents.
5 September 2024
The Inspector’s agendas for the hearing sessions can be viewed under the Hearing Sessions heading.
Please see ED19 and ED20 in the Examination documents for the correspondence between the Council and the Environment Agency on Policy CSM 10.
3 September 2024
The Council have written to the Inspector formally requesting her to recommend any Main Modifications that may be required to the Local Plan. Their letter can be viewed at ED18 (PDF, 569.2 KB) in the Examination documents.
21 August 2024
Following the deadline for hearing statements, the statements are now available to read.
19 August 2024
The details of the participants for each of the hearing sessions are now available. View the hearing sessions programme participants (002) 19 August 2024.
1 August 2024
The Council’s reply to the Inspector’s Initial Questions are now available at ED9 (PDF, 1.1 MB) and ED9A (PDF, 1003.0 KB) in the examination documents, together with four Statements of Common Ground between Kent County Council (KCC) and the following parties:-
- ED10 KCC and Maidstone Borough Council (PDF, 800.2 KB)
- ED11 KCC and Medway Council (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- ED12 KCC and Sevenoaks District Council (PDF, 782.0 KB)
- ED13 KCC and Surrey County Council (PDF, 1.1 MB).
26 July 2024
The hearing sessions have now been arranged to take place in early September and will open at 9:30am on Tuesday 10 September 2024. Find out more about the hearing sessions.
11 July 2024
The inspector has written to the council with some initial questions and her letter (ED4) can be viewed in the examination documents table.
18 June 2024
The council’s Soundness Checklist and Legal Compliance Checklists of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024 to 2039 have been uploaded to the examination documents table, with the reference numbers ED2 and ED3.
13 June 2024
Inspector Joanne Burston BSc MA MRTPI AIPROW has been appointed by the Secretary of State to carry out the independent examination of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024 to 2039.
17 May 2024
The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024 to 2039 was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination.
Examination documents
Correspondence and documents from the inspector, council and representers following submission of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan.
Examination library
View the full list of evidence base documents that support the KCC Minerals and Waste Local Plan.
1. Submission documents
2. Evidence base
3. Background documents
Hearing sessions
The hearing sessions of the Examination of the Kent County Council Minerals and Waste Local Plan opened at 9:30am on Tuesday 10 September 2024.
The first week of the hearing sessions were held in-person at:
The second week of hearing sessions were held virtually.
Hearing sessions dates:
- Tuesday 10 September to Thursday 12 September inclusive.
- Tuesday 17 September (virtual session).
Venue for in-person sessions:
Current hearing sessions programme and participants
- Hearing session programme and participants (004) (PDF, 101.9 KB) - 6 September 2024
- Daily participants’ list (PDF, 150.4 KB) - 6 September 2024
Agenda for hearing sessions
- Tuesday 10 September AM and PM sessions (PDF, 64.3 KB).
- Wednesday 11 September AM and PM sessions (PDF, 64.5 KB).
- Thursday 12 September AM and PM sessions (PDF, 66.6 KB).
Hearing statements
View details of the hearing statements.
For the more information including details on attendance and participation at the hearing sessions, the inspector has published the following documents:
- ED6 Inspector’s Examination Guidance Note (PDF, 127.6 KB)
- ED7 Inspector’s Matters, Issues and Questions (PDF, 150.4 KB)
- ED8 Outline draft hearing sessions programme (001) (PDF, 97.0 KB)
Hearing statements
Following the deadline for hearing statements, read details of the submitted statements.
County council hearing statement - matters 1 to 9 and other matters (PDF, 1.6 MB)
| Session | Representor ID | Representor | Agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matter 1: Legal compliance | LP41 | Borough Green Sand Pits Ltd (PDF, 570.1 KB) | Invicta Planning |
| Matter 2: Introduction, spatial portrait, spatial vision and objectives | LP41 | Borough Green Sand Pits Ltd (PDF, 554.2 KB) | Invicta Planning |
| Matter 2: Introduction, spatial portrait, spatial vision and objectives | LP20 | Maidstone Green Party (PDF, 174.8 KB) | - |
| Matter 3: Delivery strategy for minerals | LP41 | Borough Green Sand Pits Ltd (PDF, 562.9 KB) | Invicta Planning |
| Matter 3: Delivery strategy for minerals | LP20 | Maidstone Green Party (PDF, 174.8 KB) | - |
| Matter 4: Protecting mineral resources, infrastructure and facilities, and transport | LP20 | Maidstone Green Party (PDF, 174.8 KB) | - |
| Matter 4: Protecting mineral resources, infrastructure and facilities, and transport | LP45/46 | Tarmac Cement Ltd (PDF, 500.6 KB) | David Lock |
| Matter 5: Use of secondary and recycled aggregates | - | No hearing statements submitted by representors | - |
| Matter 6: Minerals and other aggregates | LP18 | Environment Agency (PDF, 639.8 KB) | KSL Planning and Environment Agency |
| Matter 6: Minerals and other aggregates | LP20 | Maidstone Green Party (PDF, 174.8 KB) | - |
| Matter 7: Delivery strategy for waste | LP18 | Environment Agency (PDF, 639.8 KB) | KSL Planning and Environment Agency |
| Matter 7: Delivery strategy for waste | LP24 | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Nuclear Restoration Services (PDF, 506.8 KB) | Avision Young |
| Matter 8: Development management policies | LP18 | Environment Agency (PDF, 639.8 KB) | KSL Planning and Environment Agency |
| Matter 8: Development management policies | LP55 | Kent Downs National Landscape (previously known as Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)) (PDF, 516.9 KB) | - |
| Matter 8: Development management policies | LP20 | Maidstone Green Party (PDF, 174.8 KB) | - |
| Matter 9: Delivery, implementation and monitoring | - | No hearing statements submitted by representors | - |
MWLP Submission Version Representations (Regulation 19/20)
Main Modifications Consultation
Following the close of the public hearing sessions for the Examination of the Kent County Council Minerals and Waste Local Plan in September 2024, the Inspector recommended a number of Main Modifications in order to make the Local Plan sound.
The Council held a public consultation on the Schedule of Main Modifications to the Local Plan (ED33) (PDF, 400.7 KB), which ran from Thursday 17 October to midnight on Thursday 28 November 2024.
The Inspector has received copies of all the responses received. These can be viewed below, together with the schedule of responses to the consultation with the Council’s comments on the points raised.