Sevenoaks District

Last updated

Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks UK locator map.svg
Sevenoaks shown within Kent
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Kent
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Sevenoaks
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
  TypeNon-metropolitan district council
  BodySevenoaks District Council
  LeadershipLeader & Cabinet (Conservative)
   MPs Laura Trott
Gareth Johnson
Tom Tugendhat
Area
  Total142.99 sq mi (370.34 km2)
  Rank107th (of 309)
Population
 (mid-2019 est.)
  Total120,750
  Rank193rd (of 309)
  Density840/sq mi (330/km2)
  Ethnicity
95.2% White
1.5% S.Asians
1.2% Black
1.2% Mixed Race
Time zone UTC0 (GMT)
  Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code 29UK (ONS)
E07000111 (GSS)
OS grid reference TQ525555
Website www.sevenoaks.gov.uk

Sevenoaks is a local government district [1] in west Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks.

Contents

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District and part of Dartford Rural District.

Geography

The area is approximately evenly divided between buildings and infrastructure on the one hand and woodland or agricultural fields on the other. It contains the upper valley of the River Darenth and some headwaters of the River Eden.

The vast majority of the district is covered by the Metropolitan Green Belt.

In terms of districts, it borders Dartford to the north, Gravesham to the northeast, Tonbridge and Malling to the east, briefly Tunbridge Wells to the southeast. It also borders two which, equal to it, do not have borough status, the Wealden district of East Sussex to the south and the Tandridge district of Surrey to the southwest. It borders the London Boroughs of Bromley and Bexley to the northwest.

In the 2011 Census, the district had a population of 114,893. [2]

Council

Sevenoaks District Council
Sevenoaks District Council.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Peter Fleming,
Conservative
since 10 May 2005
Structure
Seats54
Political groups
Administration (45)
  Conservatives (45)

Opposition (10)

  Liberal Democrats (4)
  Independent (4)
  Labour (1)
Elections
Last election
2 May 2019
Meeting place
Council Offices, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, TN13 1HG
Website
https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/

The third tier of government within the district consists of the following town and parish councils:

Elections and political control

The council consists of 54 elected councillors. [3]

As of the 2019 election and subsequent by-elections, [4] the political makeup of the council is:

Administration
  Conservative (45)
Other parties
  Liberal Democrat (4)
  Hextable Independents (2)
  Independent (2)
  Labour (1)

Audit

In 2009 the Audit Commission named Sevenoaks District Council as one of the four best-run and most efficient councils in the country. [5]

Premises

The council is based at the Council Offices on Argyle Road. The offices were built for the council on the site of a large house which had served as the offices of one of the council's predecessors, the Sevenoaks Urban District Council. The new building was formally opened on 3 March 1986. [6]

Housing and architecture

Hever Castle is in Sevenoaks district Front view of Hever Castle, Kent.jpg
Hever Castle is in Sevenoaks district

The layout of the district is dual-centred:

In all areas low-rise dominates: the incidence of flats exceeding two storeys is rare.

The number of listed buildings in the district exceeds 150. This includes 16 churches listed in the highest grading in the national listing system (Grade I). Castles and English country houses of the wealthiest in society from the 16th to 18th centuries form part of this district.

Examples at Grade I include Knole House, Chartwell, Penshurst Place and Chevening House, most of which have their own produce-selling farms. Older with original stone walls are Hever Castle with its 16 acres (6.5 ha)-wooded island in a listed parkland. A folly exists at Lullingstone Castle which is a reconstruction of its gatehouse and separate modern house. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

Kent County of England

Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces the French department of Pas-de-Calais across the Strait of Dover. The county town is Maidstone. It is the fifth most populous county in England, the most populous non-Metropolitan county and the most populous of the home counties.

London Borough of Bexley Borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Bexley is a London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The London Borough of Bexley is within the Thames Gateway, an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration. The local authority is Bexley London Borough Council.

Sevenoaks Market town and civil parish in western Kent, England

Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is 21 miles (34 km) from Charing Cross, the traditional centre of London. It is the principal town of the Sevenoaks district, followed by Swanley and Edenbridge.

Borough of Dartford Borough & Non-metropolitan district in England

The Borough of Dartford is a local government district in the north-west of the county of Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Dartford. It is part of the contiguous London urban area. It borders the borough of Gravesham to the east, Sevenoaks District to the south, the London Borough of Bexley to the west, and the Thurrock unitary authority in Essex to the north, across the River Thames. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Dartford, the Swanscombe Urban District, and part of the Dartford Rural District. According to the 2011 Census, its population was 97,365.

Gravesham Borough & Non-metropolitan district in England

Gravesham is a local government district with borough status in north-west Kent, England. Its administrative centre and largest town is Gravesend, which was known as Gravesham in ancient times.

Borough of Ashford Place in England

The Borough of Ashford is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. It borders five other Kent districts, as well as East Sussex to the south-west. Ashford Borough Council's main offices are in the town of Ashford. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the then Borough of Tenterden with Ashford urban district as well as the Rural Districts of East Ashford, West Ashford and Tenterden. Covering 58,000 hectares, it is the largest district by area in Kent.

Swanley Human settlement in England

Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located approximately 16 miles (26 km) southeast of central London, adjacent to the Greater London boundary and within the M25 motorway periphery. The population at the 2011 census was 16,226. The local council is Swanley Town Council.

Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)

Sevenoaks is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Laura Trott, a Conservative.

Tonbridge and Malling (UK Parliament constituency) Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom

Tonbridge and Malling is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Tom Tugendhat, a Conservative. The constituency is located in Western Kent, in South East England.

Dartford (UK Parliament constituency) UK Parliament constituency since 1885

Dartford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Gareth Johnson of the Conservative Party. The constituency is currently the longest-valid 'bellwether' constituency in the country as the party of the winning candidate has gone on to form the government at every UK general election since 1964. Candidates for the largest two parties nationally have polled first and second since 1923 in Dartford.

St Mary Cray Human settlement in England

St Mary Cray is an area of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Historically it was a market town in the county of Kent. It is located north of Orpington, and 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Charing Cross.

Hextable Human settlement in England

Hextable is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Swanley and 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Dartford.

Fawkham Human settlement in England

Fawkham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. Fawkham is defined as a hamlet by Sevenoaks District Council, with a population of 429. Fawkham is a low density, linear settlement along the bottom of a dry chalk valley some 3 mi (5 km) in length, with secondary lanes intersecting. There is no discernible village centre, although clusters of buildings occur near the Church/junction with Castle Hill, and around the village green and public house at the junction with Fawkham Green Road. There are around 220 houses.

Grade I listed buildings in Kent

The county of Kent is divided into 13 districts. The districts of Kent are Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Gravesham, Maidstone, Medway, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Shepway, Swale and Thanet.

Grade II* listed buildings in Kent

The county of Kent is divided into 13 districts. The districts of Kent are Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Medway, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Swale and Thanet.

There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the district of Dartford in Kent.

There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the district of Dover in Kent.

There are over 9,000 Grade I listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the district of Dartford in Kent.

References

  1. District Council website
  2. "2011 Census profile: Age and gender profile (unrounded)" (PDF). Kent County Council. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  3. List of Council members Archived 2009-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Councils Map | LocalCouncils.co.uk".
  5. Sevenoaks District Council : 9 December 2009 : Sevenoaks Tops National Performance League Table Retrieved 22 August 2010
  6. "New offices... Plenty of room in council's new home". Sevenoaks Chronicle. 7 March 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  7. Hever Castle Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1273465)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 30 May 2014.

Coordinates: 51°16′12″N0°11′35″E / 51.270°N 0.193°E / 51.270; 0.193