Kent County Council did not approve Oaken Wood quarrying, leader clarifies

The vote was close — 37 to 31, with 4 abstentions. The plan now goes to the Planning Inspectorate, the national body that checks whether local plans are legally sound, which will assess the need for the site, alternative options, environmental impacts, and the objections already received. More than 26,000 of those.

Twenty-six thousand objections. Not a ringing endorsement.

Oaken Wood is proposed as an extension to Hermitage Quarry in Barming, extracting Kentish ragstone — a hard rock used in construction work across the region. The plan period runs to 2039. KCC’s position is that identifying the site is necessary to secure a future supply of hard rock across the county, but critics, including CPRE Kent and Kent Wildlife Trust, argue the proposal would destroy irreplaceable ancient woodland. Maidstone Borough Council has also been reported as not supporting the development plans.

Plan-making and planning permission are two entirely different things. That distinction is precisely what the council leader is trying to get across.

Key information

• The Kent Mineral Sites Plan goes next to the Planning Inspectorate for examination; no quarrying can begin until a separate planning application is submitted and approved
• Residents in Barming, Aylesford and the wider Maidstone area are in the area directly affected by the proposed Oaken Wood extension
• The minerals plan, if eventually adopted, would set the framework for quarrying decisions across Kent up to 2039
• Objections already submitted are part of the examination record the inspector will consider