Councillor Marc Logen

11/10/2026

Daltons Road, Crockenhill: potholes repaired

On Tuesday 6th October my Reform UK colleague on Kent County Council, Cllr Dean Truder, raised the state of Daltons Road with KCC Highways. He uses the road every day and the surface had been deteriorating for some time.

A Highways Steward inspected the road and marked up the defects the following day. By Friday 9th October the repairs had been done.

If there's a pothole or other problem on a road or pavement near you, please report it directly to KCC. Reports go straight to the Highways team and you can track progress online:

https://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-or-track-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement

The more defects that are reported, the better the picture KCC has of where repairs are needed.

Tell us about highway problems including potholes, streetlights, drains and vegetation or track the progress of a problem you've already reported.

04/10/2026

The Sevenoaks Local Plan: who voted it through, and what it means for our villages

On 7th July, the Conservative-run Cabinet at Sevenoaks District Council voted to push the draft Local Plan through to its final stage. That Plan puts more than 17,000 new homes across the district, including 2,600 at Pedham Place in the Kent Downs National Landscape.

Parishes across this division made their opposition clear. Farningham, Eynsford and Crockenhill sent joint letters objecting to Pedham Place. The district councillors who voted this through were elected to stand up for these communities. Many chose to wave it through instead.

I submitted a formal objection. The main points:

Pedham Place. 2,600 homes on 141 hectares of protected landscape. National policy says major development there should be refused unless there are exceptional circumstances and it is in the public interest. This does not meet that test.

The numbers don't add up. The Council's reason for building on Green Belt and protected landscape is that the housing target must be met in full. Its own figures fall 222 homes short. It can't even give one target: 17,175 homes in one place, 17,460 in another.

Green Belt. The district is 93% Green Belt, the third highest proportion in England. The Plan labels much of it "grey belt", which makes it easier to build on.

Otford and Kemsing. The Plan says villages in the National Landscape will only see building on land that has already been developed. It then puts 414 homes on four greenfield sites in Otford and Kemsing.

Where the homes go. Fewer than 12% of the new homes are planned within existing towns. The rest are on Green Belt and greenfield land.

Water. The Environment Agency classes the whole district as seriously water stressed, and Otford has just been through repeated supply failures. The Plan leaves it to each developer to prove there is enough water. That is not a plan.

Flood risk. 1,500 homes are planned on a site north of Sevenoaks where about a quarter of the land is in the highest flood risk zone.

I've asked the Inspector to remove Pedham Place and Broke Hill Golf Course, and to drop the four greenfield sites at Otford and Kemsing. I've also asked for a lower housing target that reflects our Green Belt and protected landscape, and for infrastructure to be in place before homes are built.

The Plan now goes to an independent Planning Inspector. If you want to know how your district councillor voted, ask them. They answer to you.

My full response is on the consultation site, listed under my surname:

Find and participate in activities run by Sevenoaks District Council

14/09/2026

If you don’t want another 1500 homes being built in Otford, please take action today. Submit your objections on Sevenoaks District Council Website by Midday Thursday 17 Sept.

https://engagement.sevenoaks.gov.uk/strategic-planning/localplanregulation19/?fbclid=IwdGRzaAUTmChURENQBP9zR3Bkb2YBZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeepQA1OZfnf_aNnX5aQ6iKV9hIIPMx5Xt0sM8cmWRlhb6U9eYcZEA3ywg8Q4_aem_YwyPiBTYUbWIcrh_ch0TBQ

13/09/2026

📢 Local Government Reorganisation has been paused..

On 7th September the government put its plans to reorganise local government in England on hold, pending a review, after taking legal advice on its own process.

Where that leaves Kent:

✅ The four unitary model announced for Kent and Medway on 16th July is not proceeding. Kent County Council and Sevenoaks District Council both carry on as they are.

🗳️ There will be no Shadow Unitary Authority elections in May 2027. District and borough elections go ahead as planned.

🏘️ Nothing has been said about parish councils. Until government clarifies, parishes should work on the basis that nothing has changed.

⚠️ This is a pause rather than a cancellation. No timetable has been given for the review.

💷 Now the cost. KCC has spent in the region of £1 million on a reorganisation that the government has now shelved, on top of many months of officer time that should have gone into the services residents actually use. Every district council in Kent has been running up a similar bill. That money, your money, is gone and it bought nothing.

Reform UK said from the outset that this exercise was unnecessary and that it would cost more than it ever saved. KCC submitted an option in November 2025 that independent consultants found would deliver better savings and a shorter payback period. The government rejected it and picked a more expensive model instead. Three letters from KCC asking how that decision was reached went unanswered.

🇬🇧 The pause is the right outcome for Kent. It means we can get back to the job residents elected us to do: running the county properly and getting value from every pound of council tax you pay, instead of spending the next two years redrawing lines on a map.

Kent County Council has responded to the government's announcement that local government reorganisation (LGR) in Kent and Medway is to be paused pending a review.

13/09/2026

We need more School Crossing Patrols - please apply if you can help

15/07/2026

🚧 Horton Road gas main works: confirmed diversion routes
Following my post on 8th July, WCB Utilities are replacing the gas main along Horton Road in phases from 25 July to 6 November. KCC Highways have now confirmed the signed car diversion routes for each phase. These are the confirmed details.

📅 Phase 1: 25 July to 10 September
Horton Road closed from Station Road to Jacobs Lane. Skinney Lane closed from East Hill to Jacobs Lane.
Horton Road diversion: Station Road, A225 Dartford Road, A20 London Road, Eglantine Lane, Lombard Street, The Street (Bull Hill), and vice versa.
Skinney Lane diversion: East Hill, Horton Road, A225 Dartford Road, A20 London Road, Eglantine Lane, Lombard Street, Forge Lane, and vice versa.
Note: School Lane is not due to finish until 28 July. Horton Road will not close until School Lane reopens, so the two will not be shut at the same time.

📅 Phase 2: 16 September to 19 October
Horton Road closed from Jacobs Lane to The Street (Bull Hill).
Diversion: Jacobs Lane, Forge Lane, The Street (Bull Hill), and vice versa.

📅 Phase 3: 19 October to 6 November
The Street (Bull Hill) junction with Horton Road closed.
Diversion: Horton Road, Jacobs Lane, Forge Lane, Rays Hill, The Street, and vice versa.

🚧Skinney Lane
Skinney Lane stays closed 24 hours a day throughout Phase 1 for consistency. Access will be made available for anyone who needs it where it is safe to do so.

🅿️ Lombard Street parking
I raised the lack of passing space on Lombard, given it carries the Phase 1 diversion. SGN intend to create some gaps in the on-street parking, and KCC Highways will confirm that plan is still in place as the start date approaches. Franks Lane is not being used as a diversion, as it has been assessed as unsuitable.

📞 The works are WCB's, and access questions go to them direct:
[email protected]

Several months of phased works is disruptive and there is no dressing that up. Having the routes confirmed in advance at least lets people plan. I will post again if anything changes.

10/07/2026

📍 Kent Downs National Landscape: have your say

Kent County Council and the Kent Downs National Landscape partnership are consulting on the draft Management Plan for 2027 to 2032, along with a new Landscape-led Design Handbook.

Much of our area sits within the Kent Downs National Landscape, including Otford, Kemsing, Shoreham and the Darent Valley villages. The Management Plan sets out how the area is looked after over the next five years. The Design Handbook gives guidance on how new development should respond to the landscape and its setting. Both matter for how planning decisions land locally, so it is worth having your say while the consultation is open.

📝 You can respond online, or download a Word version to complete and return by email or post.

🗓️ The consultation closes on 19 July. If you want your views counted, get them in before then.

👉

The Kent Downs National Landscape partnership is seeking your views on the draft Kent Downs Management Plan 2027–2032 and the Landscape-led Design Handbook. The Kent Downs is a truly special and varied place: a landscape of drama and intimacy. From ancient woodlands and

08/07/2026

📍 Cotman's Ash Lane, Kemsing: road closure and water main replacement

South East Water is replacing 670 metres of ageing, burst-prone water main on Cotman's Ash Lane.

🗓️ Work is due to start on Monday 24 August 2026 and is expected to take around nine weeks.

🚧 The lane will be fully closed for the duration of the works. A diversion route agreed with Kent Highways will be signposted throughout.

The aim is a more reliable supply and fewer bursts once the new pipe is in, but there's no getting around the fact that a nine-week closure is disruptive for anyone using the lane.

Full details, including the diversion route, are on South East Water's website:

Our aim at South East Water UK to be the water company people want to be supplied by and want to work for. Manage your water account online 24/7 – View your bills, manage your move, make payments and manage your Direct Debit.

08/07/2026

🚧 Horton Road gas main works: what's happening and when

WCB Utilities are replacing the gas main along Horton Road. The work runs in phases from late July to early November. The phasing was revised to work around farm vehicles and the harvest, so any dates you saw last week have changed. These are the confirmed ones.

📅 Phase 1: Station Road to Jacobs Lane, 25 July to 10 September
Skinney Lane will be under full closure during the six-week summer holiday, while large vehicles cannot use Horton Road. Gate operatives will be posted at each end so buses and large lorries can still get through, one direction at a time. Horton Road itself will not close until School Lane reopens on 28 July, so the two will not be shut at the same time.

📅 Overnight resurfacing: A225 Dartford Road, between Calfstock Lane and Franks Lane, 10 to 16 September
Closed 20:00 to 06:00 on weeknights only, not weekends.

📅 Phase 2: Jacobs Lane to The Street (Bull Hill), 16 September to 19 October
Lorries return to their normal route. Buses divert via Jacobs Lane.

📅 Phase 3: The Street (Bull Hill) and Horton Road junction, 19 October to 6 November

📞 Questions or problems with the works go to WCB, who are running them:
Email: [email protected]
Danny Illsley, Head of Planning
Claire, Customer Liaison Manager

This is several months of disruption through the village and there is no way to pretend otherwise. The gateman arrangement on Skinney Lane should at least keep buses and larger vehicles moving. I will post updates if the dates change again.

05/07/2026

Have your say on Kent Highways & Transport

The six topics are:

- Accessibility(External link)
- Highways maintenance(External link)
- Public transport(External link)
- Road safety(External link)
-Tackling congestion(External link)
- Walking and cycling

Kent County Council is taking part in the 2026-27 National Highways and Transport Surveys, run by measure2improve on behalf of the National Highway & Transport (NHT) Network. Councils across the UK are inviting residents to share their views on highway and transport