Sevenoaks DC has vowed not to withdraw its draft local plan despite continued pressure from the planning inspector.

Planning inspector Karen Baker wrote to the council last week again urging the council to rethink its local plan.

Ms Baker wrote that she had concerns over some aspects of the plan's ‘soundness' and warned that the council had failed in its legal duty to cooperate with neighbouring authorities.

But in a response, the council's strategic planning manager, James Gleave, argued that Ms Baker did not provide a 'clear understanding' of what constructive engagement with neighbours should be and accused her of ignoring ‘significant evidence' from neighbouring authorities.

Council leader, Cllr Peter Fleming, said he would be writing to secretary of state Robert Jenrick to ask him to intervene.

He said: ‘It appears something is very wrong with the system if a council with its communities works hard for four years to produce an evidence-based plan that delivers housing, jobs and infrastructure investment while protecting the environment, only to be halted by a single individual.

‘We will not be withdrawing our local plan and the inspector will produce her report in due course.

'We will then take the strongest action open to us.'