Frequently Asked Questions from the earlier Consultation Feedback

Chiddingstone Parish Council, in partnership with the Rural Housing Enabler at Action with Communities in Rural Kent (who carried out the housing needs surveys) and English Rural, undertook a detailed site search in 2017.  A number of sites were originally identified and the shortlist of those suitable and available for local needs housing, were the subject of a consultation event in February 2018.  The Parish Council was keen to spread the provision of local needs housing across the Parish rather than build all the units in one area.  The first site was identified at Bough Beech with a second site identified in Chiddingstone Causeway which was the subject of a preliminary consultation event in January 2020.   

The affordable homes on this development are for local people with a connection to Chiddingstone Parish, and for local people who wish to stay or return to the Parish where they have family, friends or employment connections.  Local services and facilities are available in the Parish and the opportunity to have an affordable home within the Parish is the most important factor.

Open market cross subsidy on rural exception sites is part of the current National Planning Policy Framework and is also supported by Sevenoaks District Council’s emerging Local Plan and an existing policy under the Core Strategy 2011, as per the update to the 2011 Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document.  Without this cross subsidy, it would not be possible to provide the affordable homes for local people.  Any planning application will have to justify, via a comprehensive financial appraisal, why the number of open market properties is required.

To ensure the homes remain affordable for local people in perpetuity, local needs housing is built on Rural Exception Sites.  This is land that wouldn’t usually gain planning approval for housing, however the Rural Exception Site planning policy permits such development, provided the homes meet the in-perpetuity/ local connection criteria.  Therefore, in the Sevenoaks district such sites will inevitably be in Green Belt.   It is not possible to restrict affordable housing built on brownfield sites to local people in perpetuity.  

As a rural specialist housing association, English Rural is aware that rural exception sites are located in sensitive rural areas and recognise the need to ensure that the design and build quality reflect the local vernacular.   This is why we always seek comments and local feedback from the Parish Council and wider community, on the preliminary designs.

Housing needs surveys in Kent are carried out by an experienced, independent Rural Housing Enabler working at Action with Communities in Rural Kent. It is widely accepted that housing needs surveys have a ‘shelf-life’ of five years.  The first housing needs survey was carried out in December 2015 and identified a housing need from eleven local households.  The Parish Council commissioned a second stage survey in 2018 to support the aim to have three local needs housing developments in the Parish.  The second survey identified a need for nineteen homes.  The latest housing needs survey was updated in October 2023 identified a need for eighteen homes, some of which will be met by the eight homes nearing completion at Bough Beech.  The remaining need will be picked up by the proposed homes at Chiddingstone Causeway.

Because of the significant housing need identified, the Parish Council wanted to see at least eight homes on each of the two main sites in the parish.  This provision of affordable homes required the cross subsidy of the four open market homes. 

English Rural have commissioned extensive ecological surveys of the site, these have been looking for and recording evidence of (amongst other species) reptiles, including slow worms, badgers and dormice.  The relevant reports will be submitted as part of a planning application.  We are also setting aside a significant proportion for the Causeway site to allow for the on site mitigation of the Biodiversit Net Gain requirement which will provide a circa. 20% improvement on habitat from the current baseline.

The Environment Agency’s flood mapping service confirms that the majority of the site is in the lowest category of concern for flooding, flood zone 1.  The latest site layout has moved the homes away from the brook to position them well away from the modelled flood risk zone which takes the current  worse case scenarios and uplifts them by 40% to allow for future climate change.    As part of the design process, we have commissioned soakage tests to be carried out at the site to confirm geology and inform the drainage strategy that will be submitted with the planning application. 

One of our key aims is to provide homes for local people that are not only affordable to build and maintain, but affordable for residents to live in.   In line with the move away from gas power heating, our solution is to provide each home with an air source heat pump to provide heating and hot water. These low carbon technology units are between 250 and 400% efficient and do not burn fossil fuels at point of use.  Whilst these units are typically double the cost of a gas boiler installation, air source heat pumps can help residents avoid the fuel poverty trap.  These are likely to also be supplemented by photovoltaic panels to further educe our residents home running costs.  Hard surfaces such as drives will be permeable where ground conditions allow, and we install a water butt to every home.  Our homes are well insulated, and we have a requirement that they reach an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of ‘B 85’.  We install triple glazed windows throughout our new homes.

It is proposed that foul drainage for this development will connect via a rising main the public sewer system on Tonbridge Road.

Parking provision will in line with Kent County Council Highway policy, all homes are being provided with a either two parking spaces for the two- and three-bed homes or 1.5 spaces for the 1-bed homes.  Additional visitor parking spaces are also provided to ensure parking is catered for on-site.  In addition, English Rural provided secure cycle parking to all our homes to reduce vehicle trips and encourage healthier forms of travel.

We recognise that building work can create some noise and disruption at times, but we aim to keep this to an absolute minimum.  Any granting of planning permission will normally include a condition that strict working hours must be adhered to.  We expect any appointed building contractor to be courteous and understanding throughout the construction process and to communicate amiably with neighbours prior to and during the construction process.

We feel it is important to maximise local knowledge and experience wherever possible. We have appointed ECE Architects, who have worked on a number of our schemes across Kent.  We have strict technical requirements for our homes that ensure they are well built, affordable to run and maintain.