Circa 110 new homes with a mix of house sizes and types to meet local policy requirements and identified need.

Affordable housing is available to households who otherwise could not house themselves, for example, because they would struggle to afford the cost of housing in the open market, or they need a specific type of house which is not commonly available.

Types of affordable housing can include:

Shared ownership housing is provided through a Registered Housing Association and helps households who can afford a small mortgage, but that are not able to afford to buy a property outright.

To be eligible for a shared ownership property, the annual household income can be no more than £80,000 and applicants must be registered on the Home Buy Register.

It enables purchasers to buy a share between 10% and 75% of the home’s full market value and then pay rent to the landlord for the share they own.

Social rented housing is owned by local authorities and Registered Providers, for which guideline target rents are determined through the national rent regime.

The rent is calculated using a set formula that takes into account the value of the property, the average earnings in the area and the number of bedrooms.

Social Rented properties are the most affordable tenure type, typically around 60% of an open market rent. Housing Benefit is available to qualifying households where they are unable to pay their Social Rent.

Intermediate housing includes homes for rent and sale provided at a cost above social rent but below market levels.

Affordable Rent (Or intermediate rent) is housing is let by Local Authorities or Registered Providers to households who are eligible for Social Rented housing. Affordable Rent is subject to rent controls that require a rent of no more than 80% of the local market rent.

Rent to Buy means you rent a newly built home at approximately 20% below the market rate for up to five years (exact period of time varies by property). During that time period, you have the option to buy the property or to buy part of the property under a Shared Ownership scheme. When you get to the end of the time period, you either have to buy part of the property or move out.

Section 106 agreements and CIL payments are two important tools in UK planning used to secure funding from new development to help improve local infrastructure and services.

Section 106 Agreements (S106) is a legal agreement between a developer and the local planning authority.

To make a development proposal acceptable in planning terms, by securing contributions towards things the development will impact.

Examples of what S106 funds can provide:

• Affordable housing
• School places
• Road improvements
• Parks or green spaces
• Health services

Key Features:

• Negotiated case-by-case for specific developments
• Directly related to the development
• Must be reasonable and proportionate
• Can be inconsistent between developments or areas

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a standard charge per square metre of new floor space, introduced by the Planning Act 2008.

It is designed to help fund infrastructure needed to support new development across a wider area – not just tied to a single site.

Because Otford is in CIL Residential Area A, new homes here are charged a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) at a rate of £209.25 per square metre (based on the 2026 rate).

To estimate how much CIL the Council could receive from each home, we have applied this rate to typical home sizes. These sizes are based on the Government’s nationally described space standards, which set the minimum internal floor areas for different types of homes.

The amount of CIL paid will be based on the actual measurement of each market dwelling which includes garages

This gives an approximate CIL amount per home, depending on the number of bedrooms. The actual CIL payable may change in future years because the rate is updated annually.

*Figures are based on the 2026 indexed CIL rate (applicable from 1 January 2026) and are subject to change each year.

Your feedback is important to us and we want to understand local priorities and ideas.

This is your opportunity to share your views through this consultation website.

An outline planning application is used to agree the key principles of a development before the detailed design is prepared. It does not fix every aspect of the scheme, but it does set important parameters that must be followed when a future reserved matters application is submitted.

These parameters help provide certainty about what can be built on the site. They usually include:

• Developable area – the parts of the site where buildings and housing can be located.
• Amount of open space – how much land must be kept for landscaping, and other green or community spaces.
• Building heights – the maximum heights that new buildings are allowed to reach.
• Character areas – the general layout and feel of different parts of the site, such as where homes, streets or green spaces are focused.
• Access and movement arrangements – the key routes for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, and where the main access points to the site will be.

Once these parameters are approved at outline stage, the reserved matters application must work within them. The reserved matters stage then provides the detailed design, such as the appearance of buildings, exact layouts, and detailed landscaping.

Grey Belt refers to land within the Green Belt that does not strongly fulfil the main purposes the Green Belt was created to protect.
The Green Belt exists to prevent towns from spreading endlessly, stop neighbouring settlements merging together, protect open countryside, preserve the setting of historic places, and encourage redevelopment of land within existing towns.

Grey Belt land is identified when an area contributes only weakly to these goals. This might be because the land is already influenced by development, has limited openness, is contained by roads or buildings, or does not play a meaningful role in keeping settlements separate.

Because it performs less strongly against these purposes, Grey Belt land may be considered more suitable for development than other parts of the Green Belt, provided important environmental, landscape, and community factors are still carefully considered.

Land south of Sidney Gardens, Otford is considered to meet the Grey Belt criteria. Our proposals are being brought forward on this basis.

Any development on Grey Belt land must meet what are known as the ‘Golden Rules’. This require schemes to deliver clear public benefits, including high levels of affordable housing, significant green space, and supporting infrastructure. In line with these principles, the proposal will provide over 5 hectares of open space (almost 70% of the whole site), 50% affordable housing, and improvements to local infrastructure.

Parking for residents and their visitors will be provided depending on the size of the home (based on the number of bedrooms) and with reference to the Council’s parking policy

Cycle parking will be provided for each plot, and provision will be made for electric vehicles as well.

We’re committed to protecting and enhancing local wildlife. Existing trees and hedgerows will be kept where possible and we’re creating new habitats, wildlife corridors and open spaces to encourage biodiversity.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a statutory planning requirement that ensures development delivers a measurable improvement to biodiversity compared to the pre-development site.

Introduced in 2021, BNG requires most development schemes to achieve a minimum 10% increase in biodiversity, with these improvements maintained for at least 30 years to ensure long-term benefits for wildlife.  

This development will provide at least 10% BNG.

No.  A Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) is carried out to understand how likely a site is to flood and how development can be designed to remain safe and not increase flood risk elsewhere. It examines sources of flooding such as rivers, rainfall, groundwater, and drainage systems, using national data and site-specific modelling where needed.

The assessment identifies measures to ensure that the development is safe for future residents and that flood risk is not increased for neighbouring properties. This typically includes designing buildings at appropriate levels, providing safe drainage systems that control how rainwater leaves the site, and maintaining or improving existing flood pathways. Surface water is usually managed through sustainable drainage features that store water and release it slowly, so that runoff rates are no greater than they were before development.

By carefully managing water on the site and planning development around known flood risks, the FRA ensures that both new homes and existing homes nearby are protected and that overall flood risk is no greater after the development than it is today.

The appearance of the new homes will be determined at a future Reserved Matters stage, but it is anticipated that the appearance will be informed by the context and local character of the area.

Reserved Matters are the detailed aspects of a development that are not fixed at outline stage and are approved later.

If outline permission is granted, then following this Reserved Matters Approval (RMA) must be obtained before development can begin.

The five reserved matters are:

• Access – site entry for vehicles and pedestrians

• Appearance – design, materials and architecture

• Layout – arrangement of buildings, roads and spaces

• Scale – height and size of buildings

• Landscaping – planting, open space and boundaries

The local authority assesses whether these details comply with the outline permission.

Should planning permission be granted and at a later  date in the process construction will be managed in accordance with a Construction Method Statement (CMP) to be agreed with the Council by condition.

The CMP will include safeguarding measures to deal with matters such as:

• Point of access into the site for construction vehicles
• The parking of vehicles of site operatives and visitors
• Loading and unloading of plant and materials
• Safety hoarding
• Wheel washing facilities
• Measures to control the emission of dust and dirt during construction
• Waste recycling
• Working hours, including deliveries
• Large vehicle and delivery routing plan