By Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Esson
Thanet council is launching the process for a new blueprint for 15,000 homes set to be built in the district over a decade and a half.
Residents are being asked for their views to kickstart the new Local Plan in Thanet in what has been described as a “major milestone”.
District councils must legally produce the document, which allocates land for housing and employment development, covering periods of at least 15 years at a time under new rules.
In these plans, councils must meet government-mandated housing targets, set using calculations made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Thanet District Council adopted its last local plan in 2020, which covered the period from 2020 to 2031, and allocated land for over 17,000 homes over that period.
This new consultation is the earliest phase of the process for a new local plan, which can often take several years and would replace the existing plan when it expires in 2031.
Detailed proposals have not been put forward at this point, with residents being asked for views on what the plan should cover and other aspects that protect historic landmarks and characteristics of the area.
After several rounds of consultations, councils must agree on acceptable and legally compliant development sites and assess the plans themselves before submitting them to a government planning inspector for final approval.
TDC says it aims to submit the final plan to the inspector by March 2028, and hopes to officially adopt the plan in February 2029.
The consultation launched on Monday (August 24) and closes at 5pm on Friday, October 9.
Documents reveal that the council’s “starting point” has to be a “minimum Local Housing Need of 1,106 dwellings per year for Thanet,” the figure given by a government calculation.
These targets, documents say, “are higher than recent average rates of delivery”, which saw 504 per year since 2015/16, and despite higher numbers completed over the last two years, it still only equated to an average of 800 units per year in Thanet.
TDC leader Cllr Rick Everitt (Lab) said: “Starting this new Local Plan is an important milestone for our district.
“This process allows us to address vital issues like delivering the housing we need, protecting our natural environment, and creating a truly thriving place, in line with our corporate priorities.
“We are keen to firmly establish long-term vision, aims, and objectives for Thanet.
“Doing this exercise now, ahead of Local Government Reorganisation, gives us the opportunity to clearly reflect the specific needs of Thanet within the plan.”
TDC, along with all of Kent’s other existing second-tier councils and Kent County Council (KCC), will be abolished in 2028 as part of the biggest shake-up of local government in 50 years.
They will be replaced by four much larger unitary authorities, which will combine the existing roles of KCC and those held by the current district and borough authorities.
However, councils must still produce local plans nonetheless, and the government says it will announce transitional arrangements in future.
Cllr Everitt continued: “An up-to-date plan allows us to better protect the areas that we do not want to see developed.
“Our geography, demographic profile and economic status have a bearing on proposals for growth and development in the area.
“Public involvement is a key part of this, and we look forward to hearing from our residents and businesses to ensure the new plan reflects Thanet’s needs.”
TDC’s statement also explains that residents are welcome to propose possible sites for development or for designation as local heritage assets.
Once this part of the consultation is complete, TDC will carry out a more detailed “call for sites” process, where owners propose land to the authority for development and council teams assess their viability.
Residents can get involved by attending advice drop-in sessions, or by contacting the council by email or phone with any questions.
The drop-ins will be held on the following days:
- Friday 4 September, 9am – 4.30pm
- Wednesday 23 September, 1pm – 7pm
- Friday 2 October, 9am – 4.30pm
All three sessions will take place at the Thanet District Council offices in Cecil Street, Margate. You can call in at any time within the timeframes stated. People interested in attending are asked to confirm in advance wherever possible, by emailing [email protected] Drop-ins will still be welcome on the day.
Comments should be submitted online using the consultation portal at https://thanetcouncilplan.inconsult.uk/TLP_SCOP/consultationHome If online completion is not possible, comments can be emailed to [email protected]
or sent by post to Thanet District Council Strategic Planning Department, Cecil Square, Margate, Kent, CT9 1YW.
This article has been updated with LDRS copy
“This process allows us to address vital issues like delivering the housing we need, protecting our natural environment, and creating a truly thriving place”
What nonsence! How can they protect our natural environment when building yet more housing… and as for “a truly thriving place”, it will be very polluted and totally grid-locked, with barely a farm or woodland surviving!
And don’t get me started on the lack of water and the fact that sewage spews everywhere when we have little more than light drizzle!
What exactly is the point? Thanet is already absolutely ruined with hopelessly inadequate infrastructure which already cannot cope. Roads are total gridlock, local journeys take a ridiculous length of time by car and safe cycle routes are non existent. As a margate resident there is no way I would consider working in ramsgate, the commute is just too stressful. Independent businesses which should be able to rely on thanet footfall lose out because local travel is exhausting and time consuming. Oh, and national Grid want to rip through protected nature reserve with their horrible sealink scheme which will only line their own pockets
It’s all complete garbage! They don’t give a damn about the environment or truly green initiatives like cycling and walking.
100%. It’s all about the money. Consultations are just lip service, going through the motions. Oh, and my red bag paper waste has not been collected! AGAIN! 😂
so are they going to state how many dwellings are required over the next 15 years
And, as it’s a LABOUR council blaming LABOUR government rules, what does LABOUR MP Polly Billington have to say about this?
Nothing worth listening to
TDC, will hold the consultation, wait a few months and do what the want ,totally ignoring the public views
why are we considering building more houses is it so London can send there people down here that way London can be exclusive if you have lots of money. We do not want and do not need more properties please give us a break we have lost so much land and trees over the last few years as well as the inconvenience of trying to travel around Thanet, road are chaotic QEQM chaotic Drs surgeries over subscribed to be safe not enough dentists who are these people who decide what is good for us as don’t trust TDC to decide with residents interests
What a waste of time, they do not do what is really needed, bend to popular public opinion, or listen to people that have an unreasonable wish. They will not investigate deep enough or do what needs to be done. For example following an agenda to open a multiple times failed airfield which is the biggest business white elephant imaginable, or at least place sensible restrictions on it. Or build sufficient infrastructure before homes.
The trouble is over the last hundred years 75% of that time we have had conservative government which has syponed off money and assets to their cronrys and private companies and now we find ourselves in this sorry state of a country
Bob – give a rest please and concentrate on today’s problems with inept TDC and Labour led government!
Which local politicians are going to publicly state that they are against these housebuilding plans ? Another 15,000 houses on an area that is literally creaking at the seams. Water shortages, congested roads, health services almost unaccessible.
Alternatively, which local politicians are going to come out publicly and say they support these housebuilding plans.
The residents are all ears !
It’s about time we had an updated aerial view of Thanet so we can see what a disaster the local council has allowed.
My favourite thing about public consultations is it enables private companies to produce cool, glossy literature with pictures of lots of smiley people, host some lovely meetings in the community, and then, regardless of local input, something that’s already been planned centrally takes place.
Was really cool when they did the public consultation for the stroke unit at QEQM. The company involved got a cool £6m and the brochures were like really, really nice. We lost the stroke unit but does that really matter?
Public consultations ftw!
The aerial shot shows exactly why 15000 houses are not needed, why here and not somewhere else? Like someone said earlier give us a break and focus somewhere else for a couple of decades. WHEN they ok it they be forced to use common sense ( I know!!) and produce a viable plan for infrastructure and execute it before any building is allowed. Then the building works should be shown to be done or at least offered first to local trades people, and justified why not if outside firms are drafted in. Won’t happen. Can’t wait for the London boroughs to shovel their crackheads down here and build luxury housing in their wake. Nice
Interesting observations raised, but I cannot say that I’m really surprised with the outcome. London is a hugely expensive area to live for those on the lower-socioeconomic scale. Such workers will almost certainly be on some kind of benefits including a housing element, in order to live there. It seems like a no brainer for a London council to buy up tranches of housing where the market rents are a fraction of London prices and place them there at the same time not putting money in landlord coffers.
You may rant and rave all you like but this country is in managed decline caused by a trifecta of an aging demographic, high CoL, and fewer opportunities for our young people due to an onerous NMW.
The decline is caused by a slow roasted 45 year grind of neo-liberal economics: worker protections, this NMW, burdensome regulation, companies afraid of being sued for minor indiscretion etc
The only advice I can give would be to emigrate to somewhere safe, warm and with less population density to serve out the rest of one’s life. Maybe you can start a simple overseas fulfilling business on a post-it note without suffocating beaurucracy and Chinese imports.