On the northern edge of the town of Sevenoaks, sits the villages and civil parishes of Shoreham and Halstead in Kent. Both villages are historic; with Shoreham’s history dating back to the the Roman occupation of Britain between 43 - 410 AD! Nowadays, owing to their rural landscape and proximity to Sevenoaks; much of the housing fabric is dominated by large country houses with significant acerage at prices up to £5.6 million!

Neither Shoreham nor Halstead are listed in the 1086 Domesday Book, although evidence suggests that human settlements existed in the region for over a thousand years - largely due to its proximity to the River Darent. In Shoreham, the remains of a Roman bath-house were uncovered opposite Mill House, although this is the only evidence pertaining to Roman Britain. However, Halstead is supposed to have been a settlement dating from the Saxon period; with ‘Halstead’ naming translating to ‘place of refuge or shelter’. Halstead has historically been a poor locale with its expansion occurring in two phases: fruit-farming between 1850 and 1914, and the development into a commuter economy from 1920. Nowadays Halstead is an incredibly affluent village.

Due to their semi-rural status and protection under conservation areas - development in Shoreham & Halstead has often been slow and stagnant. Both locales are protected by Sevenoaks District Council owing to their historic centres and rural setting. Whilst the Sevenoaks District Council has not yet released their Local Plan for the district - there is a potential that both areas could see an influx of development. Whilst large-scale housing developments offering mixed-use dwellings; there is definitely scope for single developments in the area with contemporary large-scale properties being built!