Hildenborough VPA

26/09/2026

The Hildenborough Village Preservation Association (HVPA) has teamed up with Hildenborough Parish Council to hold a joint session with Matt Boughton to help residents understand how to respond to the next stage of the Tonbridge & Malling Local Plan - the Regulation 19 consultation.

The timeframe for submitting representations is tight, so please come along if you can:

Wednesday 30 September 2026 at 7.45pm in the Hildenborough Village Hall – Jim England Room

We hope to see you there.

26/09/2026

Regulation 19 is now open for consultation. The deadline for representations is 11.59pm on Sunday 25 October 2026.

If anyone would like to respond, your individual response really does matter.

At Regulation 19, the Planning Inspector is considering whether the plan is legally compliant and whether it is sound. A general objection saying that Hildenborough does not want the development will carry very little weight.

Instead, the guidance recommends that each response is specific: identify the relevant policy, site or paragraph, explain which soundness test you believe it fails, give your reasons and evidence, and state the specific change you want to see made.

It is therefore really important that we submit individual, personally written responses based on our own knowledge and experiences. Your own observations, whether relating to traffic, flooding, schools, infrastructure, parking, access or other issues, can provide valuable evidence.

The handout contains a number of potential issues to consider, including infrastructure and school provision, Green Belt and the gap between Hildenborough and Tonbridge, highways and flooding, wildlife and trees, and how the housing numbers have been attributed to the parish. Please use these as prompts and focus on the issues you know about and can support with evidence.

The deadline for representations is 11.59pm on Sunday 25 October 2026.

26/09/2026

Not enough water to meet the huge number of homes proposed!!

In an exclusive interview, Lembit Öpik talks with Tonbridge & Malli...

25/08/2026

**Hildenborough Village Preservation Association – Local Plan Update**

The final draft of the Tonbridge & Malling Local Plan has now been published.

This is an important next step in the process and one that we have been waiting for.

The final draft will be considered by Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council’s Full Council on Thursday 3 September 2026. Councillors will decide whether the plan is ready to proceed to the next stage, which would include a further period of public consultation.

The latest version has been informed by the consultation held late last year, together with changes to national planning policy introduced by the Government over recent months.

If approved, the next consultation will be an important opportunity for residents to scrutinise the proposals and make their views heard once again.

You can read the final draft of the Local Plan and the accompanying documents, including the important water supply annexes, here:

https://democracy.tmbc.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=52325&fbclid=IwdGRjcAT62CxjbGNrBPrYhHBkb2YBZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeEP868EDGizcoMp5B-bsdytdI11aK8erk4et7Q1h1st_f5-obULu3X4rr7Gk_aem_aGe_5gS6_ur08izCGFAzoA

Now is the time to get involved

The next stage is likely to be another significant moment for Hildenborough. The scale and impact of the proposed development means that it is vital that our community remains informed, organised and engaged.

The HVPA can only continue to represent Hildenborough effectively with the support of local residents.

If you have not already done so, please renew your HVPA membership and pay your annual subscription. If you have friends, neighbours or family locally who care about the future of our village, please encourage them to join too.

We are also looking for new committee members and volunteers who would be willing to give some time to help with the work of the HVPA. You don't need to be a planning expert — we need people who care about Hildenborough and are prepared to get involved.

The Local Plan is not just something that happens to us. This is our opportunity to have a say in the future of our village.

Please support the HVPA, encourage others to join, and consider whether you can play a more active role.

**Together, we can make sure Hildenborough's voice is heard.**

Today the final draft of the Tonbridge and Malling Local Plan has been published.

This is ahead of a meeting of Full Council at Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council which will take place on Thursday 3 September 2026, where Councillors will consider whether to agree the final draft is ready for a further round of consultation.

The final draft has been informed from the consultation held late last year, as well as changes by the Government to national planning policy over the past few months.

If Councillors agree to the next stage of the process, a further consultation will be held over coming weeks.

You can read the final draft of the Local Plan, along with important annexes about water supply, here - https://democracy.tmbc.gov.uk//mgAi.aspx?ID=52325

13/04/2026

Public Consultation – Speed Indicator Devices in Hildenborough

Hildenborough Parish Council is seeking residents’ views on the possible installation and use of Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) in the village.

These devices display the speed of approaching vehicles and are used to encourage drivers to slow down and improve road safety. Before progressing further, the Parish Council would like to hear from residents about whether you support their use and where you feel they may be most beneficial.

Your feedback will help inform future decisions and discussions with Kent County Council.

Please take a few minutes to complete our short survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VPM7LXJ

Your views are important in helping us make Hildenborough’s roads safer for everyone.

Thank you for taking part.

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

12/04/2026

We are being asked to comment and give our feedback on the B245. Please do so via the link below

Hello, We’ve had a few local residents get in touch recently with concerns about the number of c...

09/04/2026

https://hildenboroughvpa.wordpress.com/to4-land-north-west-of-hilden-park-road-289-homes/

This application will be the gateway site for another 289 homes to built in Hildenborough. It formed part of the site known as TO4 in the local plan. Please see our web page for the objections that are still relevant for this proposal.

20/12/2025

Meeting notes and tips on how to respond are on our website.
https://hildenboroughvpa.wordpress.com/

Visit us to stay informed.

1 Local Plan
5 Weeks
27 Public Meetings
93 Hours
797 Slides
2,150 Attendees

Last night was the final Local Plan Public Meeting in Eccles.

Thank you very much to every single person who has come to any of the 27 meetings to hear more about the process and share your thoughts. I hope you found it interesting.

A massive thanks to all those who helped organise the events with us, and everyone who has helped spread the message. I am also very grateful to the excellent Planning and Communications teams at Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council for their help, preparation and organisation too.

It has been hugely rewarding to have so many conversations across Tonbridge and Malling about how we can shape our future together.

Don’t forget, submit your responses to TMBC before 2 January here - https://tmbcconsult.commonplace.is/en-GB/

15/12/2025

Online meeting tonight at 7pm. Ask those questions. We need to have out voice heard

A reminder that we're hosting an online meeting tonight about our draft Local Plan .

Register via link the comments below 👇

🗓 Monday 15 December, 7:00pm

The meeting will provide an overview of the plan, what it means for different parts of the borough and give an opportunity for you to put your questions.

15/12/2025

Im working on a template this week to help us all respond. In the meantime, 5th Dec meeting notes are up on the website and lots of helpful links and documents

Here is our latest newsletter.