Protect Dartford’s New Homes – Stop Large-Scale Purchases by Outside Councils
We call on Dartford Borough Council and the Government to take urgent action to protect Dartford and other communities from uncontrolled large-scale acquisition of new homes by councils from outside their area, without adequate transparency, consultation or consideration of the impact on the host community.
Recent evidence I have obtained while investigating housing arrangements at Knights Reach in Stone, Dartford has confirmed that Basildon Borough Council purchased 86 flats at the development in June 2026.
I have also uncovered a separate proposal by Newham Council to acquire the freehold of 153 residential properties at Knights Reach to provide accommodation for households in housing need and reduce its reliance on costly temporary accommodation.
That proposal had progressed to Newham's published Forward Plan as a Key Decision but was subsequently withdrawn. Newham's published entry contains a field marked “Reason withdrawn:” but no reason is given.
Dartford Borough Council itself has a long-term arrangement involving 138 properties at Knights Reach, intended to accommodate Dartford households and bring families placed outside the borough back into Dartford.
We therefore now know that three different councils have had major housing arrangements or proposed acquisitions involving the same Dartford development.
This raises a much wider issue for Dartford.
If large numbers of homes on a major new development can be acquired or controlled by councils from outside the area, what safeguards exist for the community in which those homes are actually built?
And if it can happen at Knights Reach, what prevents the same thing happening on another major Dartford development in the future?
This is about the decisions being made by councils, transparency and accountability, the availability of new homes, balanced communities, pressure on local infrastructure and services, and whether residents and their local council should have a meaningful voice when another authority seeks to acquire a substantial number of homes in their community.
We, the undersigned, call on Dartford Borough Council to:
1. Investigate and use every lawful mechanism available through planning policy, Section 106 agreements, development agreements, land covenants and other measures to protect the intended balance of major future housing developments from excessive bulk acquisition or fundamental changes in tenure without proper scrutiny.
2. Introduce greater transparency, including public reporting where Dartford Borough Council becomes aware that another local authority is proposing to acquire, lease or otherwise control a significant number of homes within the borough.
3. Assess the cumulative impact on local services and infrastructure where substantial concentrations of housing are acquired or used by authorities outside Dartford, and seek appropriate mitigation wherever legally possible.
4. Press the Government for stronger powers where existing planning and housing law does not provide Dartford with adequate safeguards.
We also call on the Government to:
5. Require host councils to be formally notified and consulted before another local authority completes a large-scale acquisition or long-term lease of residential properties outside its own area.
6. Review the rules governing large-scale out-of-area housing procurement, including whether thresholds or additional safeguards are needed where substantial numbers of homes are concentrated within one development or community.
7. Strengthen transparency, including consideration of a national reporting system for significant out-of-area acquisitions and long-term leasing arrangements involving local authorities.
8. Ensure that the cumulative impact on host communities — including housing supply, schools, healthcare, infrastructure and other local services — is properly considered.
Dartford should have a voice in decisions which can fundamentally affect the future of our communities.
Please sign this petition if you agree that Dartford needs greater transparency, stronger safeguards and a meaningful say over large-scale acquisitions of homes by councils from outside our borough.