Strategic land wanted in Kent

What strategic land we want near Kent

Kent ranges from the Medway towns, Dartford and Gravesend on the Thames to Maidstone, Ashford, Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells and the coastal towns of Margate, Ramsgate, Folkestone and Dover. West Kent is largely Metropolitan Green Belt, while the Kent Downs and High Weald National Landscapes cover much of the countryside. Sites typically include edge-of-town fields, orchards and farmland, farm buildings, infill plots and brownfield land in the towns.

• Land for 50 or more homes next to a town or larger village
• Land near railway stations or good bus routes
• Holdings where neighbouring owners may collaborate
• Land with more than one possible access point

Nutrient neutrality advice has affected the Stour catchment around Canterbury and Ashford because of the protected Stodmarsh wetlands. High Speed 1 stations and the M2, M20 and A2 corridors are a focus for growth, while coastal flood risk matters on the Thames and Swale estuaries and Romney Marsh.

Checks we make on strategic land in Kent

The August 2026 NPPF supports homes within reasonable walking distance (around 800 metres) of well-connected railway stations, with minimum densities of 35 homes per hectare, or 45 near higher-frequency stations.

English councils keep brownfield land registers, and some previously developed sites can be granted permission in principle, a quicker way of establishing whether housing is acceptable before technical details are settled.

Some land in Kent is designated Green Belt. If your land is within it, it may still qualify as grey belt or previously developed land under national policy, subject to the Golden Rules.

Parts of Kent fall within Kent Downs National Landscape and High Weald National Landscape. Protected landscapes carry strong policy protection, so land in or next to them needs particularly careful assessment.