Published: Tuesday, 7th July 2026
Sevenoaks District Council has officially broken ground on a new housing project in Swanley, which is helping to pay back the costs of building Swanley’s new leisure centre.
The Sevenoaks District Council scheme consists of 15 town houses and 45 flats and is being built on land previously occupied by the old White Oak Leisure Centre. The development was given planning permission on 12 January 2026.
Not only will the scheme provide new and much needed environmentally efficient homes, but it will also help pay back the borrowing costs of building the new leisure centre next door, which opened in 2022.
The scheme will be environmentally efficient with solar panels, air source heat pumps and will be insulated to high standards. All electricity generated will be first used within the building itself, and any excess used to reduce future occupiers’ maintenance bills.
A substantial shared community garden will be at the heart of the site. Mature trees will be kept, screening the development from neighbouring properties, along with new trees, soft landscaping and green corridors to enhance biodiversity.
All homes will have car parking spaces along with visitor parking and secure cycle storage.
Once finished, a public path from Hilda May Avenue to Juniper Walk will open to the public.
Cllr Kevin Maskell, Leader of Sevenoaks District Council, and Cllr Michael Horwood, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Improvement & Innovation, led the ground breaking ceremony on 1 July 2026 with other representatives from the Council and the building contractor Skillcrown Homes.
Cllr Michael Horwood, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Improvement & Innovation, says: “As councils get no significant Government funding to achieve the rebuilding of aged leisure centres, the development of this site was critical in the business case to secure a new White Oak Leisure Centre for Swanley.
“We are delivering a mix of new homes built to high environmental and sustainability standards on previously developed land, whilst also providing a new community garden and green landscaping as part of the scheme.”
Matt Arnold, Land & Development Director, Skillcrown added: “We were delighted to welcome councillors and project partners to White Oak to mark this important early milestone. Skillcrown is pleased to be working in partnership with Sevenoaks District Council to deliver this exciting scheme for Swanley. The development will make good use of a brownfield site, provide much-needed new homes and help support the wider regeneration of the area around the new leisure centre. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Council, local residents and the wider project team as the scheme moves forward.”
For information about the scheme, visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/whiteoakresidential.
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