Planning Departments
Local Planning Authorities, pre-application advice, planning portals
Kent is a two-tier county. Kent County Council handles strategic, minerals and waste planning only. All householder applications go to your district or borough council below.
Kent County Council - Strategic Planning
County-wide - minerals, waste & county matters only
03000 41 41 41
kent.gov.uk/planning
Invicta House, County Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XX. Do not use for householder applications - use your district or borough council below.
District & Borough Planning Departments
Ashford Borough Council
Ashford, Tenterden, Headcorn
01233 331 111ashford.gov.uk/planning
Canterbury City Council
Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay
01227 862 000canterbury.gov.uk/planning
Dartford Borough Council
Dartford, Swanscombe, Stone
01322 343 434dartford.gov.uk/planning
Dover District Council
Dover, Deal, Sandwich
01304 821 199dover.gov.uk/planning
Folkestone & Hythe District Council
Folkestone, Hythe, New Romney
01303 853 000folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/planning
Gravesham Borough Council
Gravesend, Northfleet
01474 337 000gravesham.gov.uk/planning
Maidstone Borough Council
Maidstone, Headcorn, Staplehurst
01622 602 000maidstone.gov.uk/planning
Sevenoaks District Council
Sevenoaks, Swanley, Edenbridge
01732 227 000sevenoaks.gov.uk/planning
Swale Borough Council
Sittingbourne, Faversham, Sheppey
01795 417 850swale.gov.uk/planning
Thanet District Council
Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs
01843 577 000thanet.gov.uk/planning
Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council
Tonbridge, Kings Hill, West Malling
01732 844 522tmbc.gov.uk/planning
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Cranbrook, Paddock Wood
01892 526 121tunbridgewells.gov.uk/planning
Building Control
BCO contacts for Building Regulations approval across Kent
LABC - Find Your Kent Building Control Team
All 12 Kent districts - postcode search
Use the LABC postcode finder to locate your local building control team. Each district runs its own service. You may also use a Registered Building Control Approver (private sector) as an alternative.
Heritage & Conservation
Listed buildings, conservation areas, scheduled monuments
Historic England - South East Region
Covers Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire
0370 333 0607southeast@historicengland.org.uk
Eastgate Court, 195-205 High Street, Guildford, GU1 3EH. Kent has exceptional heritage assets including Canterbury World Heritage Site, Dover Castle, Rochester Castle, Leeds Castle, and numerous conservation areas along the Medway Valley.
Kent Historic Environment Record (HER)
County-wide archaeological and historic records
Request an HER search before submitting planning applications where buried archaeology may be present. Kent has extensive Roman, Saxon and medieval heritage including the Roman Watling Street corridor.
Environment & Flood Risk
Environment Agency, natural environment, drainage and flood
Environment Agency - South East Region
Flood risk, water quality, waste licensing - county-wide
03708 506 506Check flood risk - GOV.UK
Flood Incident Line: 0345 988 1188 (24hr). Kent has significant flood risk along the Rivers Medway, Stour, and Swale, and coastal flood risk in low-lying areas including Romney Marsh and the Thames Estuary.
Kent County Council - Lead Local Flood Authority
Surface water and ordinary watercourse drainage
03000 41 41 41Kent flooding & drainage
Contact for ordinary watercourse consent before culverting, bridging or diverting a stream. Also manages Kent's surface water drainage strategies.
Natural England - South East Area
SSSIs, protected species, AONBs
0300 060 3900
Kent includes the North Downs AONB, High Weald AONB, and extensive SSSI coverage along the coast and Romney Marsh. Contact where development may affect protected habitats or species.
Utilities & Infrastructure
Water, gas, electricity, highways connections and diversions
South East Water
Water supply - west and central Kent
0333 000 0002southeastwater.co.uk/developers
Southern Water
Water and sewerage - east and south Kent
0330 303 0368southernwater.co.uk/developers
Check your postcode to confirm which water company serves your address. Build-over agreements for sewers apply to whichever company owns the sewer in your area.
UK Power Networks (UKPN)
Electricity distribution - all of Kent
0800 029 4285 (connections)ukpowernetworks.co.uk/connections
Power cuts: 105. Contact for new connections, EV charging, heat pump supply upgrades and cable diversions.
Southern Gas Networks (SGN)
Gas distribution - all of Kent
0800 912 1700 (new connections)sgn.co.uk/new-connections
Gas emergency: 0800 111 999. SGN (not Cadent) operates the gas distribution network across Kent and the wider South East. Use LSBUD to check pipe locations before excavating.
Kent County Council - Highways
Adopted roads, dropped kerbs, access - county-wide
03000 41 41 41kent.gov.uk/roads-and-transport
Dropped kerb and new access applications go to Kent Highways. Section 278/38 agreements for works within the highway or new road adoption.
National Highways
M2, M20, M25, M26, A2, A21 - trunk roads in Kent
0300 123 5000nationalhighways.co.uk
Trade Bodies & Professional Registers
Find vetted tradespeople and professionals in Kent
Federation of Master Builders - Kent
Vetted builders across Kent
RICS - Find a Surveyor
Chartered surveyors and party wall surveyors in Kent
Gas Safe Register
Legally required register for gas engineers in Kent
0800 408 5500gassaferegister.co.uk
NICEIC - Find a Registered Electrician
Part P registered electricians in Kent
MCS - Find an Installer
Solar, heat pumps, battery storage installers in Kent
Other Useful Contacts
Health & safety, complaints and consumer protection
Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
Construction health and safety - national
0300 003 1747hse.gov.uk
Notify HSE of notifiable construction projects under CDM Regulations at least 2 weeks before work begins.
Kent Trading Standards
Rogue trader complaints, consumer protection
03454 040 506
Report rogue traders via Citizens Advice who pass cases to Kent Trading Standards.
Accuracy notice: Contact details and websites change. We update this directory periodically but always verify contacts directly. Last verified July 2026.