New planning policies, which will restrict flats and encourage more family homes in Thanet, have been given the green light.

Agreed by Council, the two policies will take immediate effect and will be used to help decide future planning applications.

The first policy states, unless it can be justified, residential development in Thanet should be houses, as opposed to flats. The only exceptions to this should be when no acceptable design can be found for houses or if there are special reasons set out in the council’s existing planning policies.

A second policy about retaining family homes says that the loss of one or more properties used as homes for a single family will only be approved if the new development is compatible with character of the area. Issues that will be taken into account include whether there is enough car parking and bin storage, the noise impact on neighbouring properties and the amount of space between buildings.

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Cllr. Simon Moores, Cabinet Member for Customer Services and Regulatory Services, said: "We all know from our own experience that Thanet has a huge number of flats, many more than in other towns in Kent, and a lot of those are being privately rented. Sadly, many of these are in poor conditions and are often the cause of the problems we face in this area. We want to see improvements to Thanet in the future and one way of doing that is to try and get more family housing here, as that will help to bring more affluent families into the area. Obviously these policies won't stop all flat building or conversions in Thanet, as there will be times when such development is appropriate. What they will do is ensure that every application this council now receives for flats is thoroughly assessed and will only be approved, if there's a clear and compelling case for permitting them."

(CD/GK)