Help shape Swale's local plan
Published
Monday 12 January, 2026
Updated
Monday 12 January, 2026
Have your say on new guidelines for developers that put infrastructure, design quality and the environment at the top of Swale’s agenda.
Swale Borough Council have launched the Regulation 18 consultation.
This looks at the council's vision for the next local plan, and focusses on key issues and characteristics in Swale and local development management policies - the technical rules used to decide planning applications.
This stage does not allocate any land for new housing or development as the extension to the Highsted Park planning inquiry was extended in June 2025. This caused unavoidable delays to the original local plan timetable.
Rather than wait for the results of the inquiry, the council has chosen to push ahead with these essential policies now and will be carrying out a further consultation later in the year on sites for potential development.
This makes sure that when housing sites are discussed, the council will be armed with robust draft policies to demand quality design, affordable housing levels and environmental standards for the borough.
The draft policies set out a vision for how the council’s development management policies can shape any planning applications, and key themes include:
- putting infrastructure first - new policies will require developers to demonstrate that transport networks can cope before issues arise, prioritising active and sustainable travel like walking and cycling
- better homes for local people - requiring 30% of housing on new greenfield sites to be affordable, with access to parks and play areas to make sure development benefits local families
- supporting the rural economy - new rules will support the roll-out of gigabit-ready broadband in rural areas, essential for local businesses and home working
- protecting the environment – demanding a 20% biodiversity net gain, double the national requirement, making sure that any new development leaves the natural environment significantly better than it found it
Cllr Tim Gibson, leader of Swale Borough Council, said:
“We want to hear your thoughts on our vision for the future of development in the borough.
“Our local plan will be putting in place strong guidelines that make sure new building projects improve Swale, not damage it.
"This includes setting ambitious targets for affordable housing, with new developments bringing decent quality, healthy homes for locals.
“One of our resident’s biggest, and completely valid, concern is adequate infrastructure - we want to make sure things like our road networks are ready for new developments to mitigate the issues they cause for locals.
“We are also taking a stand for our environment, outright banning fossil fuel burning heating, like gas boilers, and doubling the biodiversity net gain requirements.
“Please let us know what you think about our vision for the local plan, we need your backing to be able to take our demands to developers – and ultimately improve Swale, rather than damage our beautiful borough.”
The consultation will be open from 12 January until Monday 23 February, and will be available to view and respond to on the council's portal here.
