The High Weald National Landscape has called for stronger protections for the local countryside in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, after sending its response to new government planning rules on 25 February 2026. The organisation is highlighting how proposed national changes could affect the way homes, energy sites, and farm buildings are approved in protected areas across the region.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is currently looking at changing how homes are built across the country to meet a target of 1.5 million new properties. This national consultation period began in late 2025 and is set to finish on 10 March 2026.
One specific plan being considered would allow people building on small sites to ignore certain requirements for protecting nature and wildlife. The High Weald group is concerned these changes could affect the scenic beauty of the area and has recently provided new advice to local planning officers on how to better include plants and habitats in new building designs.
To help farmers and landowners manage these changes, funding for the Farming in Protected Landscapes grant has been extended until March 2029. This support is intended to help people look after the countryside while the government decides on final rules for where future projects can be built.
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