Kent council area

Selling Land in Gravesham

Gravesham is a riverside town with a rural hinterland that is almost all Green Belt. The council has delivered 61% of the homes it needed, and its final draft Local Plan, published in April 2026, proposes Green Belt changes at Istead Rise, Meopham and Higham to meet a government figure of 676 homes a year.

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Gravesham at a Glance

Gravesend and Northfleet line the Thames in the north of the borough. The council's Green Belt study describes the designation as covering effectively the whole rural area south of the A2 and east of the urban edge of Gravesend, though not every village in the same way: the council's Green Belt study lists Istead Rise, Meopham Green, Culverstone Green, Higham Upshire and Hook Green among the settlements drawn out of it, while Harvel and Luddesdown are washed over. The council also points out that significant parts of the borough are National Landscape, SSSI or Ramsar site.

Three quarters Green Belt. The council puts the figure at 76.8% of the borough, and says only Sevenoaks has a higher share in Kent.
Well behind on delivery. The Housing Delivery Test 2025 recorded 61% of the homes needed over three years. Completions fell from 419 in 2022/23 to 293 in 2023/24.
A final draft after a long gap. The council's previous plan consultation, at Regulation 18, was in 2018. Its final draft Local Plan to 2042 was open for comment from 17 April to 29 May 2026 and goes next to the Planning Inspectorate for examination.
An older strategy still in force. Until the new plan is adopted, decisions rest on the Core Strategy of September 2014 and national policy. KentOnline's February 2026 report dates the existing plan to 2012, but the government's record of adopted plans gives 2014, and that is the date to rely on.

Why You Will See 77%, 78% and 80%

Published Green Belt figures for Gravesham vary slightly. The council's own figure is 76.8%, which its Green Belt study rounds to 77%. The 80% comes from Reform UK's group leader, Aaron Elliott, quoted by KentOnline in February 2026. And in May 2025 the council's cabinet member for planning, Shane Mochrie-Cox, said that 78% of the borough falls under Green Belt, National Landscape, SSSI or Ramsar protection, a figure that combines several designations rather than measuring the Green Belt alone. None of this changes anything for a particular field: what decides a site is whether it lies in a settlement drawn out of the Green Belt or in the washed-over countryside, and how the council's study rates the parcel it sits in.

Gravesham in Figures

The government's latest figures for the council, and where its local plan stands.

Housing Delivery Test 2025
61%
Below 75%: treated as having evidenced unmet housing need under national policy S5.
Homes built against homes needed
1,258
of 2,069 needed, April 2022 to March 2025
Most recent strategic plan adopted
September 2014
More than five years old, so its housing figures are usually replaced by the government's standard method.
New plan progress
Published for consultation
As at April 2026.

Sources: Housing Delivery Test: 2025 measurement, MHCLG, published 17 August 2026; Local plans: monitoring progress, Planning Inspectorate, August 2026. Local plans move quickly, so always check the council's own website for the latest position.

Working With the Green Belt

The 61% score puts policy S5 of the National Planning Policy Framework in play, but S5 does not apply in the Green Belt, and in Gravesham that covers almost all the land beyond the edge of the town and the inset villages.

Where the Result Still Helps

Grey belt. A field that does little to stop Gravesend spreading, or to keep neighbouring villages distinct, may count as grey belt. The shortfall then matters, since homes on grey belt land need a demonstrable need for them before they can be approved.
Previously developed land. Former yards, depots and commercial sites in the countryside have their own routes under Green Belt policy.
Land inside Gravesend and Northfleet. The urban area is drawn out of the Green Belt, so a plot there is judged under policy S4, which expects approval unless the harm would be substantial.

Not all Green Belt here does the same job. The council's study gives particular weight to the land that keeps a break between the eastern edge of Gravesend and the Medway Towns, calling it one of the few barriers to London's eastward sprawl along the estuary. Land that plays that role faces a much harder test than a field tucked against Istead Rise or Meopham.

The council has said its plan follows a brownfield first approach, but that it has had to include some Green Belt sites to meet the government's figure. Mochrie-Cox, who is also deputy leader, put it bluntly in February 2026: "We have taken in every brownfield site we can." That is a clear signal that edge-of-village land at the larger settlements is being taken seriously.

For a Green Belt site, the evidence that counts most is how the land performs against each Green Belt purpose, a landscape and visual appraisal, and a transport study showing safe access, all of which we commission and pay for. Our grey belt guide explains the tests, including the Golden Rules on affordable housing, infrastructure and green space.

The Local Plan to 2042

The plan is built around the government minimum of 676 homes a year, and the council says every site it allocated was put forward voluntarily by its owner. The largest allocations are regeneration sites by the river and in the town centre, alongside Green Belt changes at the villages the council calls its larger settlements.

Area	What the published plan proposes
Northfleet Harbourside	Around 3,500 homes, 55,000 square metres of employment and commercial space and a replacement stadium, on the riverside.
Gravesend town centre	Around 500 homes.
Ebbsfleet Central	Around 580 homes in the Gravesham part of the wider Ebbsfleet scheme.
Istead Rise	Green Belt allocations including around 150 homes at Rose Farm, Downs Road, and around 60 on a second site.
Meopham and Higham	Green Belt boundary changes at the other larger settlements, including around 30 homes at Longfield Avenue, Meopham, next to the Dartford boundary.

Figures come from Dartford Borough Council's published response to the plan and can change at examination.

11,492 or 11,493?

KentOnline's February 2026 headline says 11,493, but the article itself, like Dartford's response, gives 11,492: 676 homes a year over the 17 years from 2025 to 2042. The extra home is almost certainly a slip in the headline, and both describe a plan built to meet the government figure in full. Dartford's response adds a note of caution that matters more: completions have averaged only 378 homes a year over the last three years, little more than half the rate the plan relies on.

If Your Land Is Not Allocated

The inspector will test whether the Green Belt changes are justified and whether the plan will deliver. Well placed sites that were left out can still be raised during the examination and in future reviews.

Estuary Birds, the Downs and the New Crossing

Local factor	What it means for a site
The estuary Special Protection Areas	Gravesham is part of Bird Wise North Kent with Medway, Swale and Canterbury, covering the Thames Estuary and Marshes, Medway Estuary and Marshes and Swale SPAs. New homes within 6km pay a contribution per net additional home, secured by a legal agreement and paid before occupation.
The Kent Downs National Landscape	The council's Green Belt study finds that around 40% of the borough's Green Belt is also Kent Downs National Landscape, SPA or Ramsar site. Major development in the National Landscape needs exceptional circumstances.
The Lower Thames Crossing	The council describes a 22.8km road from the M25 in Essex to the A2 and M2, with a 4.2km twin bore tunnel under the Thames, a new junction on the A2 between Marling Cross and Cobham, and the A2 rebuilt to junction 1 of the M2. Construction is planned from 2027.
Rail	Kent County Council's rail strategy shows Gravesend on high speed services to St Pancras via Ebbsfleet, and Meopham on services via Swanley to London Victoria. National policy favours denser housing near a frequent service.

Land near the crossing needs checking against the route and the construction areas before we give a view.

Riverside and Town Centre Land

A large share of Gravesham's new homes are planned on previously developed land by the river and in Gravesend. Council leader John Burden has said that without a Local Plan in place the council "cannot use our planning policies to lead the location, type and design of new development". In the same announcement the council pointed to schemes that already have consent, including the Canal Basin, the former M Block at Gravesend Hospital, Clifton Slipways and the old police station. Until the new plan is adopted, a well designed urban scheme is judged largely on national policy, which is firmly on its side.

Urban sites bring their own questions: possible contamination on former industrial land, flood risk on any plot near the Thames, the setting of listed buildings and conservation areas, and how neighbours are affected. We investigate these at our own cost. The builders' yards, garage courts and small commercial plots we consider are described on our yards and brownfield land page.

Land We Look for in Gravesham

Land on the edges of Istead Rise, Meopham and Higham, where the council is already proposing Green Belt changes.
Former yards, nurseries, depots and other previously developed land in the rural area.
Fields enclosed by existing homes, the A2 or the railway, where the Green Belt contribution may be weaker.
Brownfield plots inside Gravesend and Northfleet.
Land within walking distance of Gravesend or Meopham stations.

If your land is in the Kent Downs, or in the open gap between Gravesend and the Medway Towns, the case is harder, and we will tell you so in our review.

Questions About Land in Gravesham

Gravesham is at 61%. Does that help my Green Belt field?

Not directly, because S5 does not apply in the Green Belt. It helps in two indirect ways: the shortfall counts when grey belt land is assessed, and it is one reason the council has had to propose Green Belt releases in its own plan.

My land is near Istead Rise or Meopham but not in the plan. What now?

Plans change at examination, and the council has shown it is willing to look at the larger villages. We compare your land with the allocated sites on access, Green Belt role and landscape, and advise whether to raise it at examination, apply under grey belt policy, or wait for a review.

Will the Lower Thames Crossing affect my land?

It depends how close it is. Land near the new A2 junction or the works may face construction and noise issues, while better connections can make other land more attractive. We check the route against your boundary.

What is the bird mitigation payment?

New homes within 6km of the protected estuary sites contribute a sum per home to Bird Wise North Kent. It is a known cost, secured through a legal agreement, and it is part of the planning work we carry out and pay for.

Can a small site inside Gravesend be worth talking about?

Yes. Land inside the town benefits from policy S4, and the council is relying heavily on urban land. Our page on what we buy sets out the range.

Tell Us About Your Land in Gravesham

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Sources

We update this page when new Housing Delivery Test results or local plan milestones are published. Planning positions change quickly, so always check the council's own website before relying on it.