Village Design Statement

Hartlip Village Design Statement

Hartlip Parish Council adopted the Hartlip Village Design Statement (VDS) on 9 September 2026.

The VDS has been prepared to provide a clear, locally based description of the character of Hartlip and the qualities that residents and the Parish Council consider important to protect and respect when future development is proposed.

A key objective of the VDS is to help protect the distinctive character, landscape setting, heritage and rural identity of Hartlip, by ensuring that future development is informed by a proper understanding of the village and responds sensitively to its established character rather than eroding the qualities that make Hartlip distinctive.

It brings together evidence on Hartlip’s landscape setting, settlement pattern, important views, rural approaches, Conservation Area, heritage assets, open spaces, Public Rights of Way and relationship with the surrounding countryside.

The document is intended to help inform planning decisions affecting the parish and to provide applicants, landowners, planning officers and decision-makers with a better understanding of the local character and environmental qualities that should be considered when proposals are developed and assessed.

The VDS was formally submitted to Swale Borough Council on 16 September 2026 so that it can be taken into account as locally specific evidence in future planning and plan-making decisions affecting Hartlip.

The adopted Hartlip Village Design Statement can be viewed below.