Wates wants up to 300 homes at Henhurst Farm, Staplehurst, where the Local Plan allows about 60 on 2.5 hectares. Access would move to Pinnock Lane.
A developer is preparing plans for up to 300 homes on farmland at Henhurst Farm, on the western edge of Staplehurst. Only part of the land is allocated for housing in Maidstone’s Local Plan, and that allocation is for about 60 homes.
Wates Group’s land division set out the scheme in a request to Maidstone Borough Council for an environmental screening opinion. Its planning consultant, CBRE, sent the request on 21 October (screening request letter, 26/504072/ENVSCR).
This is not yet a planning application. It asks the council to rule whether a future outline application would need a full Environmental Impact Assessment. CBRE argues it would not (planning register entry).
What Wates is proposing
The site covers 19.2 hectares next to the village’s south-western edge, with homes already built along its northern, north-eastern and eastern sides. Staplehurst is about nine miles south of Maidstone. The letter describes an outline application with every detail reserved except the access.
It lists:
- up to 300 homes, including affordable housing, in a mix of types and tenures
- the main vehicle access from Pinnock Lane, with separate walking and cycling links into existing streets
- about 57% of the site kept as green space and public open space
- a landscaped “green edge” along the western boundary
- allotments or community orchards, and natural play areas
- a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain
- sustainable drainage, including attenuation basins and ponds
The letter does not give an affordable housing percentage. It also promises habitat work for protected species including great crested newts, hazel dormice, bats and badgers.
The 60-home allocation
The allocation, site H1(50) “North of Henhurst Farm”, was created in the 2017 Local Plan. Its policy sets out a much smaller scheme than the one now proposed (Maidstone Borough Local Plan, October 2017, policy H1(50)).
| 2017 allocation | Wates proposal | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes | about 60 | up to 300 |
| Land for housing | northern section only, about 2.5 hectares | within a 19.2 hectare site |
| Vehicle access | Oliver Road | Pinnock Lane |
The 2017 policy says only the northern section should be built on, “to ensure the impact on the surrounding landscape is minimised”. It also asks for a buffer of at least 15 metres along the western boundary, next to the ecological area secured with the Oliver Road development.
CBRE’s letter says the allocation “establishes the principle of development in this location”. It does not say how the larger scheme relates to the policy’s limits on the developed area or the access.
Why the numbers matter now
Maidstone cannot currently show a five-year supply of housing land. Council committee reports this month put the supply at 3.6 years at 1 April 2026. In that position, national policy tilts decisions towards approving housing on unallocated land (Staplehurst committee report, 15 October, paragraph 6.10).
That same committee considered 62 homes off Marden Road, Staplehurst, which officers recommended for approval. We covered it in our report on the 15 October Planning Committee.
What the site contains
The letter says the land includes:
- three veteran trees and several trees under Tree Preservation Orders, which it says would be kept
- five public rights of way, to be kept and linked into new paths
- field ditches and ponds, with small pockets at risk of surface water flooding, although the whole site is in Flood Zone 1
Three Grade II listed buildings stand at Henhurst Farm to the south-west. The Grade I Church of All Saints is about 300 metres north-east. CBRE says views of the church would be “respected”.
On traffic, the letter says initial work shows no significant effect on nearby roads, including the A229. A full Transport Assessment and a parking stress survey would come with the application.
What it means for you
- Nothing is decided. The council will issue a screening opinion, normally within three weeks, which only settles how much environmental evidence the application must carry.
- There is no consultation yet. Residents can comment once Wates submits an outline application. It would appear on the Mid Kent planning register under Staplehurst parish. Our guide to Maidstone planning applications explains how to object or support.
- Pinnock Lane residents are the most directly affected, as the proposed main entrance is on their road.
We will report the screening decision, and the application when it is lodged.
Have your say