ABC Local Plan 2042
Ashford Borough Council is preparing a new Local Plan for the borough, referred to as the Ashford Local Plan 2043.
On 2 September 2026, the Council commenced a scoping consultation for the new Local Plan.
The scoping consultation runs until
5pm on Wednesday 23 September 2026.
View the notice of scoping consultation
What does the scoping consultation include?
This is the first chance to have your say as the council start work on the new Local Plan. The consultation explains how the council will prepare the plan and when the main stages are expected to happen. The council want to hear your views on:
- The main issues facing the borough,
- What the Local Plan should include, and
- How you would like the council to engage you in the local plan process.
When is the consultation period?
The consultation period runs for three weeks from 9am on Wednesday 2 September 2026 until 5pm on Wednesday 23 September 2026.
Any comments received after the closing date will not be considered.
Where can I view the documents?
The scoping document is available to view online on our consultation portal.
You can also submit comments via our online consultation portal.
The scoping document can also be viewed in the following locations during their opening hours:
- Ashford Borough Council, International House, Dover Place, Ashford, TN23 1HU
- Ashford Gateway, Church Road, Ashford, TN23 1AS
- Tenterden Town Hall, 24 High Street, Tenterden, TN30 6AN
- Tenterden Gateway, 2 Manor Row, High St, Tenterden TN30 6HP
- Charing Library, Market Place, Charing, TN27 0LR
- Wye Library, 6 Upper Bridge Street, Wye, TN25 5AF
How do I make representations?
Ashford Borough Council encourages comments to be made online via the link below.
Alternatively, you can respond by completing a representation form which are available to download from our online consultation webpage and emailing it to planning.policy@ashford.gov.uk, or by posting it to Plan Making & Infrastructure Spatial Planning Team, Ashford Borough Council, International House, Dover Place, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1HU.
All comments must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 23 September 2026.
Call for Sites
The Council is also re-opening its Call for Sites. As part of the Local Plan process, the council is inviting landowners, developers and other interested parties to submit sites that they own, or suggest land that may potentially be available, for inclusion in the Local Plan.
Summary of EPC’s response to ABC’s prior consultation - Local Plan 2042
EPC’s Working Group on the ABC Local Plan 2042 reviewed in detail their initial observations on the draft Plan’s 3 key documents: the first draft Plan, the Interim Sustainability Appraisal report and the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report. ABC’s other associated documents were also studied for full context. Before refining their draft comments for EPC as a whole, members of the Working Group had attended a presentation held by ABC to glean further information.
Most of the final 72 comments made by EPC were based on:
- asking ABC to enhance and define its intended policies more accurately to reflect fully Egerton’s rural perspective;
- requesting that ABC rely on Neighbourhood Plans where the policies are stronger and more effective in our own communities than ABC’s policies;
- making sure ABC recognised that Egerton had already anticipated the greatest housing need being for local people – young families for affordable homes to rent or shared ownership and for local older owner-occupiers to “right-size” to more suitable accommodation;
- correcting ABC’s records to include all sites granted planning permission in Egerton (North Field, Orchard Nurseries and Gale Field) so that the total housing in the pipeline was accurately recorded as 34, in addition to 18 newly built homes;
- the need for timely and accurate completion of ABC’s assessment criteria for windfall development and ensuring it is worded with care to avoid ambiguity or misinterpretation;
- getting ABC to recognise the lack of any public transport in Egerton;
- ensuring there is no contradiction in ABC’s overall policy objective to protect and enhance the villages and the basis for development in the villages;
- asking ABC to obtain independent studies of the capacity and quality of infrastructure such as sewage treatment works to minimise pollution and avoid overloading systems with the demands caused by proposed new housing;
- the need for ABC to clarify the way in which developer contributions to village projects were approved by ABC and agreed with parishes; how they were calculated, and how they would be binding;
- the need for ABC to include the value of Parish Design Statements;
- seeking a stronger ABC policy on green buffers between settlements to protect the environment and countryside vistas and views;
- the case for ABC overcoming a significant omission about the need for food security and the role of agriculture, horticulture, viticulture etc in terms of economic development and countryside landscape; and
- asking ABC to tighten up the policy to mitigate the effects of climate change and to strike a fair balance between the need for more green energy generation and preserving the rural and agricultural landscape.
Egerton Parish Council comments have been published in by ABC on its website. You can view them here
https://haveyoursay.ashford.gov.uk/draft-lp42-consultation
Once on the page, click on the link titled ‘View and download individual consultation responses’ on the right hand side of the webpage.
You will then be able to scroll through the webpage to download individual consultation representations.
Other information
Should you have any questions or queries regarding this consultation, please contact the Plan-Making & Infrastructure Team via planning.policy@ashford.gov.uk