Policy information sourced from the Maidstone Borough Council Local Plan 2021-2038
LPRSP9: Development in the Countryside.
- 1. The countryside is defined as all those parts of the plan area outside the settlement boundaries of the Maidstone Urban Area, Rural Service Centres and Larger Villages defined on the Policies Map.
- 2. Development proposals in the countryside will not be permitted unless they accord with other policies in this plan and will not result in significant harm to the rural character and appearance of the area.
- 3. Agricultural proposals will be supported which facilitate the efficient use of the borough’s significant agricultural land and soil resource provided any adverse impacts on the appearance and rural character of the landscape can be appropriately mitigated.
- 4. Great weight should be given to the conservation and enhancement of the Kent Downs National Landscape.
- 5. Proposals should not have a significant adverse impact on the settings of the Kent Downs National Landscape or the High Weald National Landscape.
- 6. The Metropolitan Green Belt is shown on the Policies Map and development there will be managed in accordance with national policy for the Green Belt.
- 7. The distinctive landscape character of the Greensand Ridge, the Medway Valley, the Len Valley, the Loose Valley, and the Low Weald, as defined on the Policies Map, will be conserved and enhanced as landscapes of local value.
- 8. Development in the countryside will retain the separation of individual settlements.
- 9. Opportunities to improve walking and cycling connections will be supported.
- 10. Account should be taken of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan, the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan, and the Maidstone Borough Landscape Character Guidelines Supplementary Planning Document, or any successors to these documents.
For more information, please visit Maidstone’s Local Plan Maidstone Borough Council Local Plan 2021-2038