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Tunbridge Wells Borough Local Plan Review Engagement Strategy and Consultations

Engagement Strategy

The Engagement Strategy explains how the Council will involve communities and stakeholders at each stage of the Local Plan Review process, and how we will consider and report on the representations we receive. The strategy sets out a clear, practical and inclusive approach that we are committed to in preparing the Local Plan Review. It replaces the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement in regard to plan making.

The approaches to engagement set out in the Engagement Strategy will be followed as we begin the main plan preparation stage of the Local Plan Review.

The Engagement Strategy is available to view:

The Engagement Strategy has been prepared under and has regard to:

The new Plan-Making Regulations set out the key stages of plan making and consultation requirements. For the preparation of the Tunbridge Wells Local Plan Review, we will carry out formal consultation on the Local Plan at three stages:

  • Scoping consultation (Regulation 20) (already undertaken between 14 July and 11 August 2026). Responses received to the scoping consultation were used to inform the Engagement Strategy.
  • Proposed Local Plan content and evidence consultation (Regulation 23)
  • Proposed Local Plan consultation (Regulation 27).

A summary of the comments received will be produced and published after each public consultation stage and include:

  • details of the bodies/stakeholders invited to make representations
  • how they were consulted
  • a summary of the main issues raised in the representations received
  • how the Council has had regard to the representations received

Local Plan Review Scoping Consultation

The Scoping Consultation was the first public consultation in the preparation of the new Local Plan and sought early views from different people, stakeholders, statutory bodies and other organisations on what the plan should contain and how engagement should be carried out in preparing the Local Plan at each stage. This was required by Regulation 20 of the new plan-making Regulations. The different key stages of Local Plan preparation and related timings can be viewed in our Local Plan Review Timetable.

There was also a related consultation on the draft Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Scoping Report which identified the potential environmental, economic and social impacts of the Local Plan Review and set out the methodology for assessing these impacts as the plan progresses.

The Scoping Consultation has now closed, and comments are no longer being accepted.

The consultation documents remain available to view:

How the consultation was undertaken

The consultation ran for four weeks from 14 July 2026 to 11 August 2026. Residents, businesses, landowners, statutory consultees and other interested parties were invited to submit comments through the Council's online consultation portal, Talking Point Tunbridge Wells. Responses were also accepted by email and post. Consultation materials were also made available for public inspection.

Next steps

The Council is currently reviewing all representations received during the consultation period. Feedback will help inform the preparation of the next stage of the Local Plan Review. A Scoping Consultation Summary Report will be published in due course (expected in November/December 2026). The next public consultation will be a consultation on the local plan content and evidence base (under Regulation 23 of the plan making regulations), details of which are included in the Local Plan Timetable.

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