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Proposals

The site at present

For generations, Fort Halstead has been closed off to the public – a research site for the Ministry of Defence with a range of industrial buildings scattered throughout the site.

In recent years the site has been occupied by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence.

Despite this rich history, in June 2011, following a review of operations at the site, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) announced that its facilities at Fort Halstead were to close, and by October 2022 Dstl had relocated to Porton Down.

Aerial photograph looking South to the Fort
Aerial photograph looking South to the Fort

The site

Site location and masterplan

Site location
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  • Hybrid Planning Permission boundary
  • BDWH land ownership boundary
Site location
Illustrative masterplan
Illustrative masterplan

Key features

Benefits included in the Hybrid Planning Permission granted in December 2023

  • Delivery of a mixed-use village centre, for existing and future residents to enjoy
  • Safeguarding of land for a one form entry primary school
  • Transformation of a 19th century fort into a Historic Interpretation Centre with workshop space
  • Potential to create up to 27,773 square metres of business space
  • New public walking and cycling routes providing new connections to existing Public Rights of Way
  • New roads, public transport infrastructure and car parking

Need for new homes

A growing local need

To meet the growing need in Sevenoaks for more affordable homes and with much of the site due to be left vacant and underused, in December 2023 a hybrid planning application (19/05000/HYB) was granted by Sevenoaks District Council submitted by the applicant at the time, Merseyside Pension Fund (MPF), for the redevelopment of the existing defence research complex at Fort Halstead.

Find out more about the consented application

To find out more about our Reserved Matters Applications and their progress please go to our BDWH Applications tab.

Illustrative view along shared-surface Mews Street showing carefully balanced allocation of space between pedestrian, landscape and vehicular requirements.
Illustrative view along shared-surface Mews Street
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