Folkestone & Hythe residents asked to help shape district’s planning rules until 2045

Folkestone & Hythe District Council has opened a six-week consultation on what its new Local Plan should cover, giving residents their first formal chance to influence planning policy for the district through to 2045.

What residents can do now

People living and working across Folkestone & Hythe — from Folkestone and Hythe town centres to Sandgate, Hawkinge, Lydd, New Romney and the Romney Marsh parishes — can submit views on what issues the new plan should tackle. That might be housing delivery, flood risk, countryside protection, transport links, climate change, or employment land. Businesses and employers can also flag their needs around town centres, infrastructure and economic development.

But there’s a catch worth knowing before you sit down to write a response: this consultation won’t tell you where new homes or employment sites will be built. Site allocations come later. Right now, the council is asking what the plan should cover and how it should involve the public — not yet where development will go.

Why the council is doing this now

The new Local Plan is being prepared under a planning system introduced by the Government in March 2026, which gives councils 30 months to prepare a plan after completing an initial gateway assessment. The council says the draft Local Plan 2045 will provide an updated framework for housing, employment, infrastructure and environmental protection across the district — and that getting communities involved at this early stage means local knowledge can shape policy before the detailed decisions are locked in.

There’s also a numbers problem pressing in the background. The council’s own Housing Delivery Test result for 2020 to 2023 came in at 83% — meaning housing delivery fell short of the required level. That figure triggers two consequences: the council must produce a Housing Delivery Action Plan, and it must add a 20% buffer on top of its five-year housing land supply. With 1,408 households currently on the district’s housing waiting list, and an average of 440 homes built per year over the previous five years, the pressure to demonstrate a credible housing pipeline is real.

Concerns about the process

Critics of early-stage consultations like this one often point out that it’s hard for residents to engage meaningfully when no specific sites or policies are on the table yet. You can’t object to a development you haven’t been shown. The council acknowledges that site assessments won’t be published until the 2027 consultation round — so communities near potential development areas are, in effect, being asked to shape the rules before they know what game is being played.

There’s also a practical muddle the council needs to sort out. Its news announcement gives a deadline of 4pm on Friday 16 October 2026, while the official consultation portal states 5pm on the same date. The council should be contacted directly to confirm which deadline applies before submitting a response.

What comes next

The council’s timetable sets out three formal consultation stages in total. The second — covering the proposed vision, aims, objectives, policy topics and supporting evidence — is scheduled for September to October 2027. Consultation on the full proposed Local Plan follows in May to June 2028. Previously submitted call-for-sites submissions do not need to be resubmitted during this scoping stage.

Key information

• Consultation closes: 16 October 2026 — confirm whether the deadline is 4pm or 5pm directly with Folkestone & Hythe District Council before submitting
• How to respond: through the council’s Local Plan consultation portal, or in person at council offices, local libraries, and town and parish council offices during normal opening hours
• Next consultation stage: September to October 2027, covering the proposed vision, policies and supporting evidence
• Note: this consultation covers plan scope and engagement only — it does not propose or approve specific development sites