Broke Hill 660 homes decided Thursday: council month ahead

Councillors decide the district's biggest housing scheme at 7pm on Thursday 24 September, plus every council meeting to late October and what each covers.

The biggest planning decision Sevenoaks district has faced in years is taken this Thursday. The Development Management Committee meets at 7pm on 24 September in the Council Chamber on Argyle Road, and the former Broke Hill golf course scheme is the only application on the agenda. (Sevenoaks District Council, Development Management Committee agenda, 24 September 2026)

Here is what is on that agenda, what Cabinet considered on Tuesday night, and every district council meeting scheduled between now and late October.

Thursday: the Broke Hill decision

Application 25/02129/OUT covers the former Broke Hill Golf Club off Sevenoaks Road, Halstead. It is an outline application, with everything except access left for later approval, for:

up to 660 homes
a retirement village of up to 150 units, plus a care home
a primary school, a local centre, a café and a mixed-use area
a country park, with parking and landscaping

(Sevenoaks District Council, Development Management Committee agenda, 24 September 2026)

Planning officers recommend approval, despite 1,369 letters of objection across two consultation rounds. Their reasoning, the Green Belt argument and the section 106 package are set out in the 109-page report to the committee. (Sevenoaks District Council, officer report, 25/02129/OUT)

We have covered what officers concluded and why, including how to watch the meeting and the strict rules on who gets to speak. In short: registration is by phone on 01732 227000 by 5pm on the day, one public speaker is allowed for and one against, and any photographs or plans must reach the committee by 5pm on Wednesday 23 September.

Tuesday: Cabinet’s September agenda

Cabinet’s September meeting was set for 7pm on Tuesday 22 September. Its agenda carried five substantive items (Sevenoaks District Council, Cabinet agenda, 22 September 2026):

The Vine PSPO. The advisory committee has recommended extending the anti-social behaviour order at The Vine until December 2029, after a consultation drew 143 responses with 107 in support. (Sevenoaks District Council, committee minute extract, The Vine PSPO)
Halstead car meets. A four to six week public consultation on extending the Hewetts Roundabout order, where 91 warnings and fines were issued in four weeks this summer. (Sevenoaks District Council, committee minute extract, London Road, Halstead PSPO)
Safeguarding Policy 2026 to 2030, the council’s refreshed policy for protecting children and adults at risk.
Financial monitoring to the end of July, the first in-year check since the June report flagged the council’s borrowing position.
The Treasury Management annual report for 2025/26.

The council had not published the meeting’s decisions when this article went live on Tuesday night. We will report the outcomes once the decision sheet appears on the council’s committee pages. An Extraordinary Council meeting listed for the same evening was cancelled; the council never published an agenda saying what it was for. (Sevenoaks District Council, meetings calendar)

The rest of the calendar, to late October

All meetings are at 7pm in the Council Chamber, Argyle Road, unless shown otherwise. Agendas are published in the week before each meeting. (Sevenoaks District Council, meetings calendar)

Thursday 1 October: Cleaner & Greener Advisory Committee
Tuesday 6 October: Housing & Health Advisory Committee
Thursday 8 October, 10.30am: Licensing Hearing; the premises being heard is named when the agenda is published
Thursday 8 October: Development & Infrastructure Advisory Committee
Tuesday 13 October: Sevenoaks Joint Transportation Board, where county and district councillors deal with roads and parking
Thursday 15 October: Development Management Committee
Tuesday 20 October: Cabinet
Thursday 22 October: Scrutiny Committee

The Improvement & Innovation Advisory Committee meeting listed for 29 September has been cancelled. (Sevenoaks District Council, meetings calendar)

Timeline of Sevenoaks District Council meetings: the Development Management Committee decides Broke Hill on 24 September; Cleaner and Greener meets 1 October, Housing and Health 6 October, a Licensing Hearing and Development and Infrastructure both on 8 October, the Joint Transportation Board 13 October, Development Management 15 October, Cabinet 20 October and Scrutiny 22 October, all in the Council Chamber on Argyle Road — Graphic by Sevenoaks Online

What it means for you

Every meeting above is open to the public, and the main committees are streamed live on the council’s website, so you can watch the Broke Hill debate without travelling to Argyle Road. If a planning application near you is heading to the 15 October committee, the papers will name it the week before; you can check any application, and comment on live ones, through the council’s portal via our planning applications guide.

Questions about attending, speaking or agendas go to Democratic Services on 01732 227165 or democratic.services@sevenoaks.gov.uk.

Sources

Image: Sevenoaks District Council Offices by Richard Kelly, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Graphic by Sevenoaks Online.