DEVELOPERS are being told they will not get permission to build houses in Kent and Medway until the money needed for new schools, hospitals and roads has been secured.

Under a potentially controversial proposal, council planners have included the policy in the Kent and Medway draft Structure Plan – the blueprint which will shape how the county develops over the next decade.

The proposal represents a toughening of existing planning policy. For the first time, it sets out an explicit obligation on developers to show in advance that the money is there for different community services.

The proposal is significant because the Structure Plan sets out the policies and ground rules which local councils must take into account when they determine planning applications.

It also sets out house-building targets for the county, confirming that Kent and Medway can expect to see 5,805 new homes built each year between now and 2021.

KCC’s Conservative leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart said the tougher policy was needed because the council was determined to ensure it was not left to pick up the bill for building new facilities.

“What we are saying is that before planning applications are put in for development, there has to be absolute clarity about what infrastructure will be needed and who will pay for it,” he said.

He acknowledged developers might see the policy as a “step too far” but said KCC was prepared to see it put to the test, possibly at planning appeals.

The council was prepared to defend its stance using a new statutory power which makes it responsible for environmental well-being.

The draft Structure Plan, which will be out for public consultation in September, states: “Unless exceptional circumstances prevail, the cost of providing new community facilities which arise from new housing or other developments is borne by the development in question.”

KCC has already warned the Government’s plans for massive house-building in north Kent and Ashford over the next two decades will cost around £7billion for new schools, roads and hospitals.