Local Development Committee
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Local Development Committee

A detail-focused committee that leads on planning and development work for the village. It works through every significant planning matter the Parish Council refers to it, from individual applications to borough-wide consultations.

The committee was set up in early 2022. It sits as a sub-committee of the Parish Council's Planning and Transportation Committee, and draws on a mix of parish councillors and resident volunteers to do the technical work that significant planning matters require.

The Neighbourhood Development Plan is the most significant current project - but it is one piece of a long and continuing record of planning work on behalf of East Peckham.

Scrutinise & respond

Leading detailed responses to significant planning applications and strategic consultations - including the TMBC Local Plan and any borough-wide documents affecting the parish.

Plan & protect

Preparing or advising on planning documents such as the Neighbourhood Development Plan, Housing Needs Assessment, and Local Green Space designations for the parish.

Engage early

Engaging with developers, TMBC and other stakeholders at an early stage to secure community contributions and make sure development preserves and enhances the character of the parish.

Routine planning applications - household extensions, minor works and the like - are dealt with by the Parish Council's Planning and Transportation Committee. The LDC handles significant planning and development priorities referred to it by that committee.
Why East Peckham faces development pressure. The village is formally designated as a Rural Service Centre under Tonbridge & Malling's planning framework (Policy CP12) - one of a small number of rural settlements expected to accommodate a share of the borough's housing growth. The LDC's remit includes acting in the interests of that designation: making sure any growth that does come to the village is the right kind, in the right places, with the infrastructure to support it.
Sub-committee of the Planning and Transportation Committee 5 councillors & 7 resident members Established early 2022 ToR reviewed June 2026

Current projects

What the committee is working on

The three active workstreams the LDC is currently leading. Click through each for the full detail.

Flagship · in progress

Neighbourhood Development Plan

The community-led, legally weighted plan for how East Peckham grows. Evidence gathering is underway; surveys are open now.

Visit the NDP pages
Ongoing · Reg 19 due summer 2026

TMBC Local Plan response

Monitoring and formally responding to Tonbridge & Malling's borough-wide Local Plan. Regulation 19 - the next stage - is expected summer 2026.  Regulation 18 consultation response submitted December 2025

Our Reg 18 response
Watching brief

Significant planning applications

The LDC monitors potential proposals and applications that may materially affect the village and advises the Parish Council where a detailed response is needed.

Current applications (TMBC)

Track record

Planning work the committee has led

Since 2022, the LDC has led East Peckham's response to every significant planning matter referred to it. Three examples below - each a different challenge, each resolved in the village's favour.

Westwood Road & Drage Road - footpath registration and infill planning application refusals +
Rights of way Planning objection Resolved in the village's favour

What was at stake

A route between Westwood Road and Drage Road - used by residents for years for walk-throughs and to access garages - was at risk. An infill development proposal on adjacent land would have physically compromised the path and cut off established access. Without formal protection, the route had no guaranteed future.

What the LDC did

The committee worked with residents to formally register the route as a public right of way, putting it on a legal footing that development cannot override. The LDC prepared detailed planning objections for the Parish Council to consider and progress, in relation to two successive applications on the land, setting out the impact on access, amenity and overlooking of neighbouring properties.

Outcome: The footpath was formally registered as a public right of way in November 2024. Both planning applications were refused by TMBC, with the most recent refusal citing overlooking as a key ground.
Brook Farm Buildings, Church Lane - 60+ home speculative development planning application +
Large-scale residential Drainage & infrastructure Ref: 21/03353/FL and subsequent

What was proposed

A scheme for more than 60 homes on land at Brook Farm Buildings, Church Lane, originally submitted in December 2021. The application had insufficient sustainable drainage (SuDS) proposals and no meaningful engagement with the local community before or during the application process.

What the LDC did

The committee produced detailed planning objections, working through the technical case on drainage capacity, surface water management, highways impact and the developer's failure to engage with residents. The LDC maintained its position across the original application and subsequent submissions, ensuring the Parish Council's concerns were on the record at every stage.

Outcome: The applications were refused by TMBC. The committee's detailed objections supported the planners' own assessment of the scheme's technical shortcomings.
TMBC Local Plan - Regulation 18 consultation responses (2022 & 2025) +
Borough Local Plan Reg 18a & Reg 18b 2022 and 2025

What was at stake

TMBC's draft Local Plan proposed significant housing allocations for East Peckham.  The Regulation 18 consultations were the community's primary opportunity to challenge proposals that raised serious concerns about multiple aspects of the TMBC proposal including development of known flood plains, infrastructure capacity, impact on wildlife and habitats, (and many other areas.) The LDC drafted a detailed technical response on behalf of the Parish Council to deliver the communities views on the formal record, before the TMBC plan progressed.

What the LDC did

The committee led the Parish Council's formal responses to both Regulation 18a (2022) and Regulation 18b (2025), building a detailed case across: surface water flooding and drainage; highway congestion and the lack of safe walking and cycling routes; primary school capacity; healthcare provision; loss of agricultural land; and the overall scale of growth being proposed for a village with East Peckham's infrastructure constraints.

Where it stands: Regulation 18 is complete. TMBC is now progressing towards Regulation 19, expected summer 2026 - the formal publication of the draft plan. The LDC will continue to lead the response, building directly on the evidence developed through Reg 18 and the Neighbourhood Development Plan work now underway.

The committee

Who we are

Up to five parish councillors and twelve resident members may sit on the committee. Currently five councillors and seven residents, giving their time to the detailed work of planning scrutiny.

Parish councillors

  • Mark Williams - Chair, Parish Council, LDC 
  • David Seal - Vice-Chair, Parish Council
  • Julian Scorey
  • Sophie North
  • Tracy Hendry-Lewis

Resident members

  • Katie White - Vice-Chair, LDC
  • Stuart Milligan
  • Richard Packham
  • Rachel Packham
  • Marc Crouch
  • Marion Foster
  • Daniel White
Declared interests. Two members - one parish councillor and one resident member - have declared an interest in land put forward for development. Both recuse themselves from any related discussion or decision. Councillor's interests are on TMBC's public Register of Interests. The detail in relation to any relevant resident member interests are lodged with the Parish Clerk and available for review.  The Parish Council is finalising a 'Conflict of Interest' policy for Resident Members.       
Independent professional planning advice: Dave Chapman, Triformis Ltd (consultant and advisory role). Administration: the Parish Office.

Governance

On the record

The LDC's meetings are minuted and published. Residents are welcome to attend. All formal records sit with the Parish Council's public documents. The Terms of Reference are under review to be updated in June 2026.

Agendas & minutes All meeting records Meetings & dates When we meet and how to attend Terms of Reference Available from the Parish Clerk on request Policies & procedures Parish Council governance documents Register of interests Members' declared interests (TMBC) Financial accounts Parish Council income and expenditure

Get in touch

Talk to us

Questions about the committee, any of its current work, or how to get involved? Contact the Parish Office and we'll make sure it reaches the right person. We're volunteers, so replies may not be instant - but they will come.

Email the committee NDP pages

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