News
Community invited to see updated proposals for Heathlands Garden Community
Homes England and Maidstone Borough Council launch next stage of community engagement
Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, working in partnership with Maidstone Borough Council, is inviting the local community to view the updated proposals for Heathlands Garden Community and ask questions ahead of the submission of the Outline Planning Application.
The updated proposals respond to feedback gathered during the first round of engagement in May 2026, when local residents, community groups and stakeholders shared their views. Since then, the project team has been reviewing that feedback alongside ongoing technical work to refine the developing masterplan.
Heathlands Garden Community is allocated in Maidstone's adopted Local Plan Review 2021–2038 as a location for around 5,000 new homes, together with employment space, schools, local centres, green infrastructure and a new railway station on the Maidstone–Ashford line. Infrastructure is planned in step with growth, reducing the pressure that can arise from ad hoc development elsewhere in the Borough. Subject to planning permission, the first homes are expected in 2031, with Heathlands Garden Community completed by 2054.
The next series of engagement events will take place in October 2026. These events will present the updated proposals and provide an opportunity for the local community to ask questions before the Outline Planning Application is submitted.
Join us in person
Location: Charing Church Barn
Market Place, Charing, TN27 0LP
Date of event: Friday 9 October 2026
Opening hours: 9am to 1pm
Location: Harrietsham Village Hall
Church Road, Harrietsham, ME17 1AP
Date of event: Friday 9 October 2026
Opening hours: 3pm to 7pm
Location: Lenham Community Centre
12 Groom Way, Lenham, ME17 2QT
Date of event: Saturday 10 October 2026
Opening hours: 2pm to 8pm
Or join us online for a webinar on Monday 12th October 2026 between 7pm and 8pm. You can register to attend the webinar, view the updated proposals and ask any questions via the project website: www.heathlandsgc.co.uk
The Outline Planning Application, which is expected to be submitted by the end of 2026, will establish the key principles for the development, including land uses, access and movement, landscape, and supporting infrastructure.
More detailed proposals will then come forward through a series of Reserved Matters Applications. Local communities and key stakeholders will continue to have opportunities to engage throughout each stage of the process.
Jayshree Patel, Head of Planning and Enabling at Homes England, said: “We were really encouraged by the feedback received in the first round of engagement in May, and we've listened carefully to what the community has told us.
“This next stage is about showing how feedback has shaped the proposals while continuing the conversation to ensure local residents understand what is being submitted.”
Maidstone Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, Councillor Simon Wales added: “Heathlands is a long-term, plan-led allocation in the Local Plan, and meaningful community engagement remains central to its development.
“This latest stage of engagement gives local people the opportunity to see how previous feedback has informed the proposals ahead of the planning application. We encourage the community to come along, ask questions and see how the plans have evolved.”
For more information about Heathlands Garden Community and to sign up for email updates on the project, please visit: www.heathlandsgc.co.uk