Last updated: September 2026
Short answer
What is being consulted on
A local plan decides where new homes, jobs, roads, schools, parks and services may go across the borough, and sets the policies used to judge planning applications. The scoping stage does not propose sites or numbers yet. The council is asking three questions:
- What are the main issues facing the borough?
- What should the Local Plan include?
- How would you like the council to keep in touch and involve you?
The consultation document also explains how the plan will be prepared and when the main stages are expected to happen — useful if you want to know when site-specific proposals become open to comment.
How to have your say
- Online: complete the council's Local Plan 2043 scoping consultation form on Have Your Say Ashford.
- By email: download a printed comment form from the same page and send it to planning.policy@ashford.gov.uk with the subject heading "Ashford Local Plan 2043 Scoping Consultation".
- By post: Plan Making & Infrastructure Team, Spatial Planning, Ashford Borough Council, International House, Dover Place, Ashford, TN23 1HU.
- Deadline: 5pm, Wednesday 23 September 2026.
Why Chilmington Green residents should care
Chilmington Green is not a side note in Ashford's planning — it is a large part of how the borough has planned to meet its housing need. During preparation of the previous Local Plan 2030, the council expected the development to produce 2,500 homes by 2030, a figure it described in 2017 as "realistic and conservative".
That assumption looks very different now. The lead developer's companies are in administration with around £211.9m of identifiable creditor claims, much of the promised infrastructure is unbuilt, and the A28 Chart Road scheme remains in doubt. A new plan has to confront that honestly.
Issues residents may want to raise at this stage include:
- Infrastructure before more homes — sequencing roads, the district centre, healthcare and school places so they arrive with the housing rather than long after it.
- Realistic delivery assumptions for Chilmington Green, so shortfalls are not simply carried forward.
- Transport and traffic on the A28 corridor, bus provision including the 501C school service, and safe walking and cycling routes.
- Enforcement and security for Section 106 obligations, so a developer failure does not again leave the public purse exposed.
- Green space and community facilities, including Discovery Park and the parks and play areas covered in our green space guide.
Where this fits in the wider picture
The council restarted work on a new borough-wide plan in July 2026 after changes to national planning rules, with local reporting at the time referring to housing figures of around 17,000 homes. The scoping consultation is the first formal public stage of that restarted process, and further consultations — including on draft policies and sites — are expected to follow.
Commenting now is the cheapest way to influence the plan. Once draft allocations are published, the debate narrows to specific sites and specific numbers.
Sources
- Have Your Say Ashford — Ashford Local Plan 2043 scoping consultation
- Ashford Borough Council — emerging Local Plan and design code
- Ashford Borough Council — Local Plan timetable and how to get involved
- KentOnline — council restarts plan for 17,000 homes (July 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ashford Local Plan 2043?
It is the new planning blueprint Ashford Borough Council is preparing for the borough. A local plan sets out where new homes, jobs, roads, schools, parks and services may be needed in the future, and the policies used to decide planning applications.
When does the scoping consultation close?
The scoping consultation ran from Wednesday 2 September 2026 and all comments must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 23 September 2026.
How do I comment?
Comments can be submitted through the council's online form on its Have Your Say website. Printed comment forms can be downloaded and emailed to planning.policy@ashford.gov.uk with the subject heading 'Ashford Local Plan 2043 Scoping Consultation', or posted to the Plan Making & Infrastructure Team, Spatial Planning, Ashford Borough Council, International House, Dover Place, Ashford, TN23 1HU.
Does this consultation decide anything about Chilmington Green?
No. Scoping is the first stage: the council is asking what issues the plan should cover, what it should include, and how residents want to be kept informed. Site allocations and policies come at later stages. But because Chilmington Green is central to Ashford's housing supply, the assumptions set now shape what is proposed later.
Why does this matter at Chilmington Green specifically?
Ashford's previous plan assumed Chilmington Green would deliver 2,500 homes by 2030, a figure the council described in 2017 as realistic and conservative. With the lead developer's companies in administration and much of the infrastructure unbuilt, the new plan has to take a fresh view on delivery rates, the A28 corridor, school places and the district centre.
Is this the same as the 17,000-homes plan reported in July?
It is the same plan-making process. In July 2026 the council restarted work on a new local plan following changes to national planning rules, with reporting at the time referring to housing numbers of around 17,000 homes across the borough. The scoping consultation is the first formal public stage of that restarted process.
Related guides
What is Chilmington Green?
The background to the 5,750-home garden community.
Section 106 explained
The obligations behind the roads, schools and parks.
A28 Chart Road scheme
Where the £30m dualling scheme stands.
£211.9m creditor claims
What the September insolvency papers show.
Parks and green space
Parks, play areas and green corridors.
All updates
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