We have recently become aware that Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) plans to “dispose” of the open space at Small Grains to a registered housing provider (such as West Kent Housing Association) or developers with a view to building 7-9 affordable homes on the land.
Fawkham Parish Council (FPC) has requested that this open space be transferred to us instead, to remain as an amenity open space for the benefit of the Parish. Along with the meadow at St. Mary’s church, this is one of only two flat, publicly accessible open spaces suitable for recreation in the Parish. We would plan to use wooden barriers to segregate the open space from the parking areas to protect the green space from being driven over, improving its appearance, and improving the safety of those using it for recreation, especially children.
SDC are holding a 14 day consultation process on the proposal, ahead of a final decision, and we urge residents to write as soon as possible and by 9th June with their objections. Your comments should be sent to property@sevenoaks.gov.uk and please cc fawkhampc@gmail.com. We will compile all comments and send them to our District Councillors who are also opposed to this proposal (we will remove your name and address unless you advise us otherwise). A copy of the public notice, which is on display at SDC’s offices and in the local press, is below.
Please feel free to include the points above and below in your comments, although do use your own wording. If you have personal recollections or experience of using Small Grains as an open space, for example for your children to learn to ride bicycles, or to play games on, or if you went to the Silver Jubilee event in 1977 or the Platinum Jubilee event in 2022, then please include those.
FPC will be strongly objecting to this proposal on the following grounds:
- Small Grains is a designated as an Open Space in Fawkham’s Neighbourhood Plan ‘made’ in February 2025. This means the Neighbourhood Plan forms part of the development plan for Sevenoaks District. The Neighbourhood Plan includes Policy FNP12 – Protection of open space, sport and recreation facilities, which states “Public open space and other open space of public value, as defined on Map 10 and Appendix 2, will be retained and, where appropriate, enhanced”. Development of this site for housing fails to take account of this adopted policy and is contrary to it.
- The outcome of the recent Local Housing Need survey, 2022, identified a low need of three affordable houses in the Parish. Given that the Salts Farm depot/Old Halt Close development includes 10 affordable houses, and that a Local Lettings Plan, with priority to those with a connection to Fawkham, was agreed for some of these, FPC feels that this, plus the turnover of existing affordable housing stock, will more than meet this identified need and the proposal by SDC therefore fails to take account of the strategic development needs which have already been identified.
- Fawkham is not a sustainable location for new housing development. It is a hamlet, washed over by the Green Belt, with narrow lanes, very few facilities and no public transport. Residents are reliant on private vehicles – there are no buses and the nearest train station is 2.9 miles from Small Grains.
- It is not clear at this stage what parking arrangements will exist for residents of 1-3 and 8-10 (who have no road outside their houses on which to park). One map appears to show the whole of the site, although the wording says “excluding parking existing”; the map below shows a slightly different area. We are seeking clarification from SDC in view of the long-term parking arrangements currently in place for these existing properties.
- FPC has submitted an Expression of Interest for a Community Asset Transfer to the Parish, helping to meet the aim of reducing SDC’s costs through reduced maintenance liabilities. The outcome of that is not yet known.
We understand a decision will be made by SDC on 12th June 2025.
Please help support your community in having a say in the proposed disposal of land.
Please contact us if you have any questions on this and we will do our best to answer them.
Thank you
Fawkham Parish Council
Further background:
As you may know, we have been trying to work with SDC to improve both the car parking arrangements and the condition of the open space since 2021. SDC agreed that we could pay our contractor to make additional grass cuts to make the amenity space more usable, and could pay for a litter bin to be installed. FPC also arranged via SDC for a picnic table and benches to be added.
FPC included a policy in the draft Neighbourhood Plan to regularise the parking areas and segregate them from the open space, which also included making improvements to the surface of the parking areas. However, because SDC, as landowner, would not support the proposed use, the Examiner of the Plan removed this policy from the Plan.
We are therefore disappointed with the proposal SDC is now making.
History of Small Grains
FPC’s understanding is that a wider site than currently being disposed of, a field called Small Grains, was acquired after WWII by Dartford Rural Council to build houses upon. These houses, numbers 1-10 Small Grains, were built in the early 1950s, and the remaining land became amenity land/open space, as shown on the title deeds.
In 1989 the houses which remained in Council-ownership were transferred to WKHA, with SDC retaining the amenity open space.
In 2012, SDC offered FPC a 99-year lease on Small Grains as an amenity open space, although this was not taken up.
If anyone has any further information which may be of use, please let us know.
Map showing land proposed to be disposed of at Small Grains
Second map showing land proposed to be disposed of at Small Grains