Yes, and very little stands in your way. Only a few dozen buildings are listed. No conservation area covers the villages. The neighbours file plans at a steady clip. The real limit here is your budget, not the planning system.
Historic England lists 35 buildings in the area. Two are Grade I, one is Grade II* and 32 are Grade II. Owning a listed building means you need listed building consent for most changes, inside as well as out, including changes that would not normally need planning permission at all. Grade I and Grade II* cover the few buildings of exceptional interest, where approval is hardest to get. With 35 listed buildings among thousands of homes, most buyers will never have to deal with this. If you are buying one, you will know, because the particulars will mention it, usually in a tone of pride and in a font that costs extra.
There are no conservation areas within the area. That matters as much as the listed-building count, because conservation areas are where the restrictions on ordinary houses tighten: on windows, on side extensions, on what you can change on the front. Here, a post-war semi is simply a post-war semi, and the planning system treats it that way.
People here clearly make use of that freedom. Between April 2024 and June 2026, 3,177 planning applications were lodged across the area. 1,454 of them came in the twelve months to June 2026. Those numbers count applications, not permissions granted, and they say nothing about how many were approved. What they do show is that altering your home is normal here. Scaffolding at the neighbour's usually means a kitchen extension, not a reason to call the council.
For most houses, some modest work can go ahead under permitted development rights without a full application. That can include some rear extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings, within national size and position limits. Some changes still need a prior notification to the council first. Listed buildings lose most of those rights, and flats never had them. Rights can also have been removed on a specific estate or by an earlier planning condition. New Ash Green, built as a planned village, is worth checking on this point before assuming a house carries the full set. Ask Sevenoaks council for a lawful development certificate before starting work you assume is permitted. It costs little compared with a retrospective application. Note that Vigo Village falls in Gravesham, not Sevenoaks, so check which council covers your address.
Freedom to extend is one of the area's real strengths. Heritage rules affect very few homes, and the paperwork for most houses is manageable.