FAQ's
What is happening?
In September 2024, we consulted political and community stakeholders as well as the local community on key themes related to the proposed development of the Land South of Aylesham. This engagement was the first part of the process in developing a future outline planning application.
The consultation helped us gather your feedback and ideas on various aspects of the development, such as housing, green spaces, community facilities, and transport infrastructure.
Axis Land Partnerships is now preparing to return to Aylesham to present their updated proposals for the Land to the South of Aylesham, following the first round of consultation, prior to finalising preparations to submit and Outline Planning Application to Dover District Council in the early part of 2025.
What is a Local Plan Allocation?
Dover District Council is required to produce a plan to guide future housing an economic growth in the district. This is called a ‘Local Plan’.
A Local Plan seeks to deliver growth in specific locations through ‘allocations’, in other words policies that specifically identify how and where new homes and business will be provided.
Land to the south of Aylesham has been identified as a site allocation for the provision of a new neighbourhood based on garden village principles within the emerging Dover Local Plan. On 16th October 2024, Dover District Council adopted the Local Plan, formally allocating Land to the South of Aylesham as a location for future housing growth in the District.
The site is expected to deliver several hundred dwellings alongside commercial, retail and community uses.
What is an Outline Planning Application?
An outline planning application establishes permission in principle for development and sets out parameters for certain aspects of a development such as access location, areas for building, land uses, green spaces, height limits and density limits for new buildings.
It does not determine detailed design elements, such as building design; these are addressed at a later and separate planning application stage called the ‘reserved matters’ stage.
Following our second round of public engagement, we hope to be able to submit an outline planning application for Land to the South of Aylesham to Dover District Council.
What are Garden Village Principles?
Garden village principles refer to holistically planned new settlements or neighbourhoods that enhance the natural environment and offer high-quality affordable housing and locally accessible work in beautiful, healthy and sociable communities. They are derived from the Garden City movement as founded by Ebenezer Howard in the 20th century (the first Garden City was developed in Letchworth) and are a feature of current national planning policies and guidance.
In practice, Garden Village principles emphasise the integration of homes, workspaces, and leisure areas within well-connected, pedestrian-friendly environments. They prioritise green spaces, such as community gardens, parks, and tree-lined streets, to enhance residents' well-being and encourage sustainable living.
Who are Axis Land Partnerships Ltd?
Axis Land Partnerships is a development and land promotion company. Axis specialises in bringing forward land for residential and mixed-use developments, working collaboratively with landowners, communities, and local authorities to deliver sustainable and well-planned projects.
Will Axis Land Partnerships Ltd build the homes?
Axis will not build the homes themselves. As a land promoter, our role is to prepare a high-quality masterplan to guide future development of the site and to achieve a planning permission.
Following that, the land will likely be sold to a homebuilder that specialises in constructing new homes. The specific homebuilder will be determined at a later stage but will be carefully selected to ensure they adhere to the vision and principles of the masterplan. The homebuilder will require a further permission from the Council for the detailed designs of the new homes and buildings to be provided - this is known as ‘Reserved Matters’.
When will building take place?
We are only at the very early stages of the planning process. The actual construction stage is much further down the line.
The timeline for when building will take place depends on several factors, including the completion of the consultation process, obtaining planning permissions & other relevant consents, and finalising detailed design plans.
At this point in time, we cannot say when precisely the building process may commence.
Who are DevComms?
DevComms are communications specialists in the property and planning sector. They are the community representatives for this project and will be there to answer any questions you might have.
You can get in contact with them through the following details:
Email: ayleshamsouth@devcomms.co.uk
Phone: 0800 080 3160
How can I get involved?
You can get involved by attending our public engagement events and reviewing the public engagement materials available on this site.
We will be returning to Aylesham to present our evolved Masterplan following the first round of engagement, showcasing how the plans have addressed some of the key comments raised previously.
Our second round of public engagement will be taking place on Tuesday 17th December 2024 from 14:30pm – 19:30pm at the Aylesham Welfare Leisure Centre. Comments forms will be available on the day to be submitted. If you are unable to attend the event, an integrated comments form will be available on the feedback tab of this website.
If you require materials in any other format, you can also contact us directly using the dedicated contact details available on the Next Steps tab.
How many homes will be developed on this site?
Whilst an estimated delivery of 640 new homes, across the plan period, has been indicated within Policy SAP24 of the Local Plan, an initial master planning exercise for Land to the South of Aylesham suggests that it is likely any future planning application brought forward for the allocated site could provide up to 800 homes overall.
Will the proposed development provide Section 106 contributions?
Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a local planning authority to enter into a legally binding agreement or planning obligation with a landowner/s as part of the granting of planning permission. The obligation is termed a section 106 agreement.
These agreements are a way of delivering or addressing matters that are necessary to make a development acceptable in planning terms. They can be used to support the provision of services and infrastructure, such as recreational facilities, education, health and affordable housing. Such agreements may relate to measures on or off site, and commonly are used to secure financial contributions from developers to be put towards provision of strategic public infrastructure such as school capacity and healthcare capacity.
The financial contributions for the site will be agreed at the outline planning application stage and planning permission would only be issued by Dover District Council if and when the details of the section 106 agreement have been agreed and signed by all parties.
Will a primary and/or secondary school be delivered as part of the proposed development?
The Local Education Authority (Kent County Council) is responsible for education planning in the district. With regards to Primary School provision, it has said there is not a need for a new school on the site and instead will seek financial contributions for the expansion of existing school/s in Aylesham.
As with regards to secondary school provision, the education authority forecasts surplus capacity in the short, medium and longer term. It does not seek provision of a new secondary school on the site, however it will seek financial contributions for the expansion of the existing secondary schools within the area.
Will any healthcare provisions be brought forward as part of the proposed development?
The Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for planning health services across the region. As part of this development, discussions will take place regarding financial contributions to support improvements to local healthcare provision.