Dartford's town centre masterplan survey is open until Sunday 25 October. A second survey asks whether the street drinking and e-scooter ban should be renewed.

Dartford Borough Council has opened its survey on the future of the town centre. It closes on Sunday 25 October. The answers will shape a masterplan for how the centre should change over the next 10 to 15 years. (Dartford Borough Council, Town Centre Masterplan)

A second town centre survey is also open. It asks whether the order banning street drinking, drug use and e-scooter riding in the pedestrian area should be renewed. (Dartford Borough Council, public space protection order)

The masterplan survey

Cabinet was asked on 24 September to approve seeking public input “in autumn 2026”. Its report said the survey would run for four weeks from the end of September, and the survey is now live. (Cabinet report, 24 September 2026)

The questions will mostly ask about three goals the council has drafted:

  • a vibrant, attractive and multi-functional town centre: more people living in the centre, a mix of daytime and evening uses, and a welcome for residents, visitors and businesses
  • sustainable living: more ways to travel, restoring natural assets, and high-quality design
  • a strong identity and civic pride: Dartford’s history, reviving community buildings, and arts and culture

The report says people will also be able to upload their own photos of places in the town centre they think the masterplan should deal with. Written responses will be accepted as well as online ones.

The council is writing the plan itself, and the report puts the cost at nothing extra at this stage.

Why it matters

A masterplan can carry real weight. The council wants to adopt it as a “Supplementary Plan”, a new type of planning document. That would make it something planning committees must consider when deciding applications in the centre.

The report says that status would also help it “remain in use” after any local government reorganisation.

The timetable in the report:

Stage When
Initial survey Now, until 25 October 2026
Full draft masterplan, reported to councillors with the survey results After the survey
Formal written consultation on the draft Start of 2027
Examination by a planning inspector After that consultation
Adopted and in full effect Expected end of 2027

The council’s baseline evidence on the town centre is published with the Cabinet papers. In September we reported that only one unit was empty in the core High Street, on the council’s own count.

The drinking and e-scooter ban

The current town centre Public Spaces Protection Order took effect on 1 February 2024 and lasts for three years. The council says it is “due to be reviewed before it expires”. (Dartford Town Centre Order 2024)

Inside the restricted area, the order bans:

  • drinking alcohol, or carrying an open container of it
  • taking drugs or psychoactive substances, or carrying the kit to do so
  • littering, and urinating or defecating outside a toilet
  • swearing, shouting or acting in a threatening manner
  • riding an e-scooter in the main pedestrian area, at any time

Breaking the order can mean a fixed penalty of up to £100.

The council says it believes the order “assists in efforts to curb anti-social behaviour”. It wants views from residents, visitors and businesses in or affected by the area. Its page does not give a closing date.

What it means for you

If you use the town centre, the masterplan is the earlier and cheaper point at which to have a say. Once it is adopted, it will guide what gets approved. If parking is your concern, our Dartford parking guide lists the town centre car parks, and our report on the Hythe Street rebuild covers the works already planned.

Sources