The site today

The site includes over 1,000,000 square feet in a mix of office, laboratory and storage buildings, leased on a long-term basis to QinetiQ and DSTL, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, a branch of the Ministry of Defence. This site also includes 65 residential units together with a further 15 residential units owned by Annington Homes which are leased to the MOD.

The site currently lies within the Kent Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), just inside its northern boundary. It is considered to be both a national and local asset that supports a diverse range of agriculture, character, landform and views. No part of the Fort Halstead site, or any areas immediately adjacent to it, are designated as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), the closest being areas of woodland to the north.

Major Developed Site (MDS)

The Fort Halstead site is designated in the adopted Sevenoaks District Local Plan as a Major Developed Site (MDS) in the Green Belt and is currently used for research and development and housing. The MDS policy allocation identifies the boundary of the existing developed part of the site within the Green Belt and sets out criteria and controls for the redevelopment of the site.

Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use (CLEUD)

The use of Fort Halstead for research and development and housing is long established. The site was previously owned by the Ministry of Defence until 2003 and was subject to Crown Exemption therefore planning permission was not required for development proposals. In 2004 Sevenoaks District Council granted a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development (CLEUD) for the existing uses and development on the site. This confirms that the existing use, operations and activities undertaken on the site are lawful. The certificate is valid for the continuation of the existing uses at Fort Halstead. The uses and development approved by the CLEUD are for Business (B1 use class) purposes comprising predominantly research and development use, offices and light industrial with ancillary uses including storage/distribution (B8), canteen (A3), energetic material testing and a social club.

Remediation

Redevelopment will provide the opportunity to remediate hydrocarbon contamination built up over the years from vehicles and oil spillage.