Residents have until 10 September 2026 to comment on a draft plan that proposes a new hard rock extraction site near Aylesford and carries forward three existing mineral allocations across Kent.
Kent County Council is asking residents, businesses and organisations to have their say on a draft minerals plan that could shape where sand, gravel and stone are dug out across the county for years to come. The six-week consultation runs until 11.59pm on Thursday 10 September 2026, and covers a Pre-Submission Draft Kent Minerals Sites Plan — the document that, if adopted, would identify which sites in Kent are suitable in principle for future extraction.
Three sites already allocated in the current 2020 plan are carried forward: Chapel Farm in Lenham for soft sand; Stonecastle Farm in Hadlow for sharp sand and gravel; and Moat Farm in Capel, also for sharp sand and gravel. But there’s one new addition — land south and west of Hermitage Quarry, near Aylesford, proposed for the extraction of Kentish Ragstone, the hard rock that’s been holding Kent’s buildings together for centuries.
The reason is straightforward. KCC says the county’s existing stone reserves are expected to run out by around 2033, and that roughly 19.9 million tonnes of hard rock will be needed up to 2039. Without new sites identified well in advance, that gap becomes difficult to fill.
Not without complications, mind. The proposed Aylesford site includes land classified as a plantation on ancient woodland site — PAWS, in planning shorthand — which is treated as ancient woodland under planning policy and gets a high level of protection. A Planning Inspector will weigh the evidence on environmental impacts, alternatives and mineral need before deciding whether the plan holds up.
And it’s worth being clear about what this consultation isn’t. Getting a site into the minerals plan is not planning permission. Any actual quarrying would still need a separate application, further technical assessments, another round of public consultation and a separate planning decision. Quite a lot still to happen.
KCC is the county’s Minerals Planning Authority, which means it has a legal duty to plan for a steady supply of the materials used to build and maintain homes, schools, hospitals and roads. Once the consultation closes, the draft plan goes to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination.
Key information
- Consultation deadline: 11.59pm, Thursday 10 September 2026
- Hard copies available: Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ — Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
- How to comment: representations must address whether the draft plan is legally compliant and sound
- Next step: after the consultation closes, the plan goes to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination
Kent County Council opens consultation on new minerals plan – including a quarry site near Aylesford Quiz
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