Overview
Masterplanning and planning for much needed new homes, community facilities and improvements to infrastructure on a complex quarry site in Kent. The site has multiple challenges including its green belt location and active use as a minerals quarry. We have been working on proposals to develop the sustainable extension of Sevenoaks since 2014.
Project Highlights
Clients
Tarmac Trading Ltd
Date
2014 - Present
Scale
950 homes (including extra care), primary school, local centre, lake and Country Park
Our work at Sevenoaks exemplifies our ability to prepare and progress a scheme and planning application on a complex and ever-changing site, bringing together all our skills across our design, planning and communications and mapping team to create successful outcomes
Joseph Carr, Senior Associate, David Lock Associates
The Project
Sevenoaks Quarry has been subject to mineral extraction for decades, with operations due to cease in 2030. We began work on the site in 2014, reviewing and providing initial design concepts for its development for residential use, alongside discussions with Sevenoaks District Council and Sevenoaks Town Council regarding its delivery. The site’s green belt location presented a challenging delivery and planning context for development, however, in an area of acute housing need the site, which is adjacent to the urban area of Sevenoaks, provides a great opportunity for redevelopment to meet these needs.
The Process
Our promotion of the development with local stakeholders led to the site being allocated as a location for growth within the draft Sevenoaks Local Plan, and the now adopted Sevenoaks Town Neighbourhood Plan, alongside the provision of important open space and community spaces. Our masterplan for the site formed the basis of the outline planning application, for the redevelopment of the quarry in February 2022 for residential use, alongside a large lake, lakeside park and watersports centre. We led this process, coordinating the submission, drafting materials and leading on the production of the Environmental Impact Assessment.
The continuing extraction of minerals on site provided a challenging baseline for the preparation of the application, with our work needing to navigate an ever changing site context as extraction occurred alongside the planning application process. This led to a bespoke, sitewide approach to determining phasing, design and biodiversity to be developed, which allows the submission of details once more certainty has been ascertained regarding the conditions on site. The outline planning application received planning permission in June 2023, subject to s106 agreement.