A draft minerals plan earmarking land next to Hermitage Quarry near Aylesford for Kentish Ragstone extraction — including part of a site treated as ancient woodland — is open for public comment until 5 October.
Kent County Council has opened a formal consultation on its Pre-Submission Draft Kent Mineral Sites Plan 2026, which proposes a single new hard rock allocation: land south and west of Hermitage Quarry, near Aylesford, for Kentish Ragstone extraction.
The consultation opened on 30 July 2026 and has since been extended twice. It was originally due to close at 11.59pm on Thursday 10 September, was then put back to Thursday 17 September, and now runs until 11.59pm on Monday 5 October 2026.
What the plan proposes
Alongside the new Aylesford allocation, the draft plan carries forward three existing site allocations: Chapel Farm at Lenham for soft sand, and Stonecastle Farm at Hadlow and Moat Farm at Capel, both for sharp sand and gravel.
The plan sits within the wider Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan framework. The land south and west of Hermitage Quarry was nominated for consideration through two separate “call for sites” exercises run by the county council.
Why the council says it is needed
Kent County Council’s assessment sets out the supply case: the county needs around 19.9 million tonnes of hard rock up to 2039, and Kent’s existing stone reserves are expected to be exhausted by around 2033.
The ancient woodland question
The council’s own consultation material is explicit about what the allocation would touch. It states that part of the proposed allocation includes a plantation on an ancient woodland site — known as PAWS — which is treated as ancient woodland in planning policy.
Following an earlier Regulation 18 consultation in 2023, the county council carried out and commissioned a range of technical assessments on the nominated extension. Those assessments considered ecology, landscape, health, air quality, carbon, heritage conservation, alternative supplies and socio-economic effects.
What this consultation is, and what it is not
This is a Regulation 19 consultation under the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended). It seeks comments on the plan’s soundness and its legal compliance — not on the merits of a planning application.
No permission is being granted at this stage. Allocating a site in the minerals plan would not by itself authorise quarrying; a separate planning application would still have to be made and determined.
How to respond
The County Council considered the Pre-Submission Draft Kent Mineral Sites Plan 2026 on 16 July 2026. Residents, parish councils, landowners and organisations can make representations through the council’s online form, by downloading and returning a Word form, or by posting hard copies to the Minerals and Waste Planning Policy Team at Sessions House in Maidstone.
All comments received during the consultation period will be forwarded to the Secretary of State for consideration as part of the independent examination of the plan.
Key information
- Consultation opened: 30 July 2026
- Closes: 11.59pm on Monday 5 October 2026 (extended from 10 September, then 17 September)
- New allocation proposed: land south and west of Hermitage Quarry, near Aylesford, for Kentish Ragstone
- Existing allocations carried forward: Chapel Farm, Lenham; Stonecastle Farm, Hadlow; Moat Farm, Capel
- Part of the proposed allocation is a plantation on an ancient woodland site (PAWS)
- Stage: Regulation 19 — comments on soundness and legal compliance only
- Respond via Kent County Council’s Let’s Talk Kent consultation portal
Kent County Council asks for views on plan that could open new quarry site near Aylesford Quiz
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