Neighbourhood Plan

Neighbourhood Plan

Fawkham Neighbourhood Plan Passes Examination

We are very pleased to say that the Examination of our Neighbourhood Plan has been completed and that the Examiner recommends the Plan proceeds to referendum, following some modifications.

The referendum will be held on Thursday 13th February 2025. If a simple majority “yes” vote is received from residents of the Parish, Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) will then formally “make” or adopt the Neighbourhood Plan as part of the statutory development plan for the District. Please add this date to your diary so you can cast your vote!

The final version of our Neighbourhood Plan can be found here: Fawkham Neighbourhood Plan.

The Examiner made some amendments, or modifications, set out in the Appendix to his report. These are mostly detailed matters to make sure the Plan’s policies have the necessary regard to national policy or SDC’s adopted strategic policies. He has also removed the policy on allocating a site for car parking at Small Grains, because SDC, who own the land, will not make the site available for this. You can read his report here: Examiner’s Report.

As the Examiner says: “It is clear that the Fawkham Neighbourhood Plan is the product of much hard work since 2019 by the Parish Council, the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and the many individuals and stakeholders who have contributed to the development of the Plan. I am satisfied that the Plan reflects the aspirations and objectives of the Fawkham community for the future development of their area up to 2040. The output is a Plan which should help guide the area’s development over that period in a positive way and it should inform good decision-making on planning applications by Sevenoaks District Council”.

We would like to thank all those who took the time to participate by being involved in workshops, visiting the exhibition and completing surveys over the past few years. We have only reached this stage through the involvement of the community.

What came through first and foremost from the evidence gathering and community involvement is the desire to protect the beautiful Kent Downs landscape, with its woodland, open fields, ecological biodiversity and panoramic views, as well as maintaining our community facilities and local economy, protecting our heritage and meeting the very small need for housing originating from the Parish, and thereby allow what is a small rural Parish to retain all that it values highly.

Sevenoaks District Council formally approved the Plan at their Cabinet meeting on December 12th: SDC Decision Statement.

We will remind you of the referendum closer to the time and you can find some FAQs about the voting process below. Given that the Referendum is taking place in mid-winter, you may want to consider registering for a postal vote to ensure your vote is heard, just in case travel on the day is compromised. You can find out how to do that in the FAQs.

Meanwhile, you can find further information about the Neighbourhood Plan here: Neighbourhood Plan, and if you have any questions please email us at fawkhampc@gmail.com.

Fawkham Parish Council

 

Referendum and Voting FAQs:

Q1. Who can vote in the Referendum?

A1. All those who are registered on the electoral roll for Fawkham Parish and qualify to vote in local elections can vote in the Referendum. You can register to vote here:

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. Please note any overseas electors registered in the Parish will not be able to vote.

Q2. What does the Referendum ask?

A2. It asks the question: Do you want Sevenoaks District Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Fawkham to help it decide planning applications in the

neighbourhood area? The options are Yes or No.

Q3. Where and when does the vote take place?

Q3. At Fawkham Village Hall, DA3 8NA, which will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 13th February.

Q4. Do people need photo ID if they vote in person?

A4. Yes. Only original documents can be accepted at the polling station; scanned images or copies cannot be accepted. If your photo ID has expired it will be accepted as long as the photograph is still a good likeness to you.

You can use any of the following:

  • Passport
  • Driving licence (including provisional licence)
  • Blue Badge
  • Certain concessionary travel cards
  • Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
  • Biometric immigration document
  • Defence identity card
  • Certain national identity cards.

Q5. If someone is registered for a postal vote in elections, does that also apply to the Referendum?

A5. Yes, it does. You can find out about applying for a postal vote here: https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/info/20053/elections_and_voting/177/voting_and_the_electoral_register. The deadline to register for a postal vote is 5pm on 29th January.

Q6. Are cards sent by SDC to people’s addresses in the same way as for an election?

A6. Yes, and as soon as possible after the publication of the Notice of Referendum on 9th January. A second set is sent to people who have applied by the deadline to register to vote/to be added to the electoral roll which is midnight on 28th January. Please note you do not need to take your polling card with you to vote.

Q7. Can people appoint someone else to vote on their behalf, i.e. a proxy vote?

A7. Yes, please see information about how to do that here: https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/info/20053/elections_and_voting/177/voting_and_the_electoral_register

Q8. Who organises the Referendum?

A8. It is organised by SDC’s election team, and the Government provides a grant to pay for the referendum.

Examination of Fawkham’s Neighbourhood Plan is now complete– October 2024

Sevenoaks District Council appointed DEREK STEBBING BA (Hons) DipEP MRTPI, of Intelligent Plans and Examinations (IPE), as Independent Examiner of our Fawkham Neighbourhood Plan.

The Examiner published his final report on 24 October 2024.

The Examiner, Derek Stebbing BA (Hons) DipEP MRTPI of Intelligent Plans & Examinations, raised some preliminary questions with Fawkham Parish Council (FPC) and Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) to which both Councils responded. The preliminary questions and the responses can be found below:

FPC Response

SDC Response

Further details can be found on SDC’s website here: https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/info/20069129/current_local_plan/732/fawkham_neighbourhood_plan

Public Consultation on the submitted Fawkham Parish Neighbourhood Plan

An exhibition detailing the draft Plan was held in summer 2023, alongside a questionnaire seeking feedback on its content. 73 questionnaires were completed – 68 from Fawkham residents. Careful consideration was given to all comments, and the Plan amended accordingly.

SDC then publicised the Plan through a further consultation process, which ran for 6 weeks from 7th June to 19th July 2024. We are grateful to the 46 residents who took a look at the final proposed Neighbourhood Plan and gave us their support. Responses were also received from a number of organisations such as Natural England, Environment Agency and Kent County Council,  as well as from other local Parish Councils and our three District Councillors. Only one objection was received. 

The Plan was then submitted for Examination to an Examiner independent of both SDC and FPC. We hope the Examiner recommends we proceed to a referendum vote amongst residents on the adoption of the Plan, to sit as legal document used to determine planning applications alongside SDC’s Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. The timescale for this vote is not yet known, although we hope it will take place later this year or early next year.

We recognise that the Parish has evolved throughout its long history to meet changing needs and understand there continues to be a need to evolve. But we also recognise the distinctiveness provided by the landscape, heritage and character – assets that should be protected to ensure Fawkham’s sense of place in the Green Belt in the North Downs area of Kent. What came through from evidence gathering and engagement with residents is the desire to protect the beautiful Kent Downs landscape, with its woodland, open fields, biodiversity and panoramic views, as well as maintaining our community facilities and local economy, protecting our heritage and meeting the very small need for housing originating from the Parish, and thereby allow what is a small rural Parish to retain all that it values highly. 

Background information: 

A six week public consultation was held on the draft Regulation 14 Fawkham Neighbourhood Plan, which closed on 14th August 2023. We have been talking to residents and businesses in the Parish since 2019, asking what they think about Fawkham Parish now and how they would like to see it in the future. This has enabled us put together a draft Neighbourhood Plan for Fawkham Parish – and we wanted to know what you think.

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

A Neighbourhood Plan guides the development of land and buildings in a parish, It is created by the local community, led by the Parish Council. It gives us a legal say in local planning matters. It is a relatively new type of planning document for Fawkham and is produced by the Parish. It is part of the Government’s approach to planning which aims to give local people more say about what goes on in their area.

The results of the Parish Survey of 2019 led the Parish Council to believe writing a Neighbourhood Plan would be a good idea and, following consultation with residents, the unanimous decision was made in December 2020 to go ahead with preparing one.

Since then, the Parish Council and the volunteers of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group have undertaken further public consultation and engagement activities to ensure that the content of the Plan reflects what local people want. This information has been used to develop background evidence for the Plan and also to commission studies to support the Plan’s policies.

If passed at a local referendum, the Neighbourhood Plan will be adopted by Sevenoaks District Council and must be used to determine planning applications in the Parish. It will become part of the Development Plan alongside SDC’s Local Plan, which looks at the District as a whole. Sevenoaks Town has already adopted a Neighbourhood Plan, and Swanley is also at an advanced stage. Several other Parishes are in the process of preparing one, including Hartley and Ash-cum-Ridley.

The Plan will provide the local community with a powerful tool to guide the long term future of Fawkham Parish. 

The Plan contains a vision for the future of the Parish and sets out clear planning policies to realise this vision. These policies include protecting the landscape, with its woodland, open fields, ecological biodiversity and panoramic views; maintaining our community facilities and local economy; protecting our heritage and meeting the very small need for housing originating from the Parish.

A Neighbourhood Plan cannot stop development: it must support the strategic needs set out in the Local Plan. This means it cannot prevent development identified in the Local Plan; there are no sites allocated by SDC in their draft Local Plan, although this has yet to be examined. Housing developments have recently been granted permission by SDC at Salts Farm depot (26 units), Fawkham Manor hospital (26 units) and Gay Dawn Farm (9 units).

How has it been put together?

Fawkham Parish Council set up a Steering Group of Parish Councillors and local residents to develop the Neighbourhood Plan. The Draft Plan has been shaped by the views of residents and brings together results of our community engagement workshops and surveys, and evidence gathered by our volunteer Steering Group. We have been supported in this by a professional planning consultant.

How has the community been involved?

During development of the Plan, we have engaged with the people of Fawkham Parish and others with an interest in the area. To date, this has included: 

  • A formal consultation on a draft Plan in the summer of 2023, which included exhibitions detailing its content at the village hall and a questionnaire seeking feedback. 73 questionnaires were returned to us, 68 of which were from residents
  • A workshop in July 2022 looking at what is important to residents and how they wish to see the Parish in the future 
  • A workshop seeking input to the report on the local landscape in spring 2022
  • A business survey sent to all houses and all businesses in spring 2022
  • A survey seeking views on the countryside in autumn 2021
  • A survey for children at Fawkham School in autumn 2021
  • A picnic at Small Grains looking at site-specific issues in 2021
  • A survey sent to all households in 2019
  • Stalls at the church fetes in 2021, 2022 and 2023

To see previous updates on the Neighbourhood Plan, please visit: Neighbourhood Plan News

For information on the Steering Group, click here: Steering Group

You can find more information on the following pages:

Neighbourhood Plan Key Documents

Neighbourhood Plan Other Documents

How can I get more involved?

Please do get in touch if you have the skills, experience, time and, most importantly, the willingness to help by joining our Steering Group or by joining a working group looking at a particular topic, such as environment, biodiversity, infrastructure, housing or urban design.

Please do contact us if you have any thoughts, comments or queries.

Preparing a Neighbourhood Plan is your chance to shape the future of Fawkham.

If you’d like to find out more about Neighbourhood Plans in general, you can visit:

How to shape where you live: Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in association with National Association of Local Councils:

or

Neighbourhood Planning: brought to you by Locality