Royal Victoria Place - Feasibility Study Report published
The Council has published its report outlining how Royal Victoria Place shopping centre could look in the future.
The report Royal Victoria Place - Feasibility StudyReport has been prepared by our external development management team RivingtonHark. In it there is a review of the current situation at RVP that focuses on three potential development zones (Palm Court, Ely Court and Market Square) and various development options are presented, including a do-nothing option which would see no change to the shopping centre.
The option being recommended to councillors is Combined Option 1. This proposes to transform the centre into a mixed destination with a boutique cinema and leisure-led uses on Ely Court, a repurposed Palm Court that will include enhanced retail space, and residential development on Market Square.
Combined Option 1 fulfils the objectives of the Council’s Strategic Plan and also aligns with the feedback gathered during the public engagement undertaken when the report was prepared. Combined Option 1 will create additional reasons to visit RVP and the surrounding area of Royal Tunbridge Wells at different times of day including the evening.
Cabinet Member for Economic Development Justine Rutland said: ‘We pledged to invest in and revitalise Royal Victoria Place to make it a better destination for shopping and leisure. This report, and the exciting and ambitious project, is the next step in that journey. We are grateful to everyone who took part in the RVP engagement, and we hope that the recommendation captures the aspirations residents and businesses have for the centre and for the wider town.’
Detailed financial costs and designs and are not part of the report, if councillors give the go ahead to progress, this information will be part of the next phase of the project. A confidential business case is available to councillors now. It shows that the recommended option is viable when considering the financial and wider economic benefits it generates; this is supported by The Economic Benefits Study in the feasibility report.
When the Council bought the shopping centre in 2023 we made clear our commitment to ensuring that RVP continues to play a strong role in maintaining the attractiveness of the town for residents, employers and visitors alike.
The report Royal Victoria Place - Feasibility StudyReport will be considered by two Council Cabinet Advisory Board committees and the Council’s Cabinet before it is debated by Full Council on 16 July 2025.
Members of the public may register to speak at any of the meetings where the report is being considered.
Alternatively, comments can be sent to the Council’s Property Investment team at rvp@tunbridgewells.gov.uk.
The report
Royal Victoria Place - Feasibility Study Report and associated appendices including an Executive Summary, the Economic Benefits Study and the Public & Stakeholder Engagement Report https://democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=455&MId=5919
Meeting timetable
7July 6.30pm – Finance, Innovation and Transformation Cabinet Advisory Board https://democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=455&MId=5919
8 July 6.30pm – Communities Housing and Environment Cabinet Advisory Board https://democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=456&MId=5962
10 July 6pm – Cabinet https://democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=118&MId=5970
16 July 6.30pm – Full Council https://democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=134&MId=5996
