Landscape and Environment
- Our Parish occupies one of the most dramatic areas in the High Weald AONB with all three of our settlements prominent on the skyline. Protecting our landscape for future generations is important to our community by:
- Retaining our distinct hilltop profiles
- Protecting our heritage and its setting
- Protecting our views in and out of our settlements
- Protecting and enhancing biodiversity and the natural environment
- Conserving ancient woodland
- Conserving water resources
- Protecting our dark skies
Community and Wellbeing
- Our residents have a strong sense of community and we are focused on meeting their needs and aspirations in both planning policy and community projects by:
- Improving and developing community facilities and services
- Improving our communications infrastructure e.g. broadband
- Preventing the loss of retail and commercial space to housing
- Retaining community assets for future generations
- Providing access for all sections of society to facilities and services – Improving dissemination of Parish news and information
- Building pride in our community
Housing
- Improve the sustainability of Goudhurst Parish as a demographically mixed and balanced community delivering new homes that meet the needs of our residents by:
- Improving the balance in our housing stock by encouraging smaller homes thereby allowing residents to remain in the community
- Delivering
- more affordable housing for rent or shared ownership tied to local need
- market housing suitable for downsizing and smaller households
- housing to support an ageing population
- Allocating affordable housing to those with a strong local connection both now and in the future
Business and Employment
- Support business development and the creation of new employment opportunities within the community by:
- Improving the strength of the local economy
- Supporting local businesses and local employment
- Supporting increased tourism
- Protecting retail and commercial premises from change of use
- Supporting live/work initiatives
- Creating diverse employment opportunities for residents
- Improving short-term parking
Design
- Deliver homes that have safe access to amenities, are environmentally sympathetic, energy-efficient, flexibly designed and use materials that age wellDeliver homes that have safe access to amenities, are environmentally sympathetic, energy-efficient, flexibly designed and use materials that age well by:
- Enhancing our community by the quality of individual design and the overall spatial design and fit with existing development
- Maintaining the character of our landscape
- Improving access and inclusion
- Ensuring efficient use of resources and available land
- Developing housing of a scale and character appropriate to our ParishDeliver homes that have safe access to amenities, are environmentally sympathetic, energy-efficient, flexibly designed and use materials that age well– Enhancing our community by the quality of individual design and the overall spatial design and fit with existing development
- Maintaining the character of our landscape
- Improving access and inclusion
- Ensuring efficient use of resources and available land
- Developing housing of a scale and character appropriate to our Parish
Traffic and Transport
- This is the most important issue in our community. We will initiate and support actions to manage traffic- flows, improve parking, implement traffic-calming and develop flexible community transport by:
- Ensuring traffic considerations are included in all development proposals
- Initiating projects to address key issues not covered by land-use policies
- Reducing the level of congestion in Goudhurst village
- Improving road safety across the community
- Facilitating safe walking, cycling and riding
- Removing unnecessary Heavy Goods Vehicle journeys through our village