New business park receives final approval

A new business park on land east of Kingstanding Way, Tunbridge Wells has been given the go ahead by the Council.

The scheme which developers say could support over 4,000 jobs and create hundreds more, was given conditional approval by the Planning Committee in September 2020 subject to agreement being reached with Highways England and KCC over outstanding highway matters. That agreement was reached in December and the last hurdles to granting approval were cleared on Friday 12 March when outstanding legal matters were finalised and the planning permission was issued.

One of the largest employers in the area Childrensalon backed the development telling the Planning Committee meeting it was ‘crucial to keeping Childrensalon in Tunbridge Wells’.

Council Leader Alan McDermott said: ‘In today’s very challenging economic climate I am pleased we have managed to resolve the outstanding issues with this planning application and given final approval for the scheme to proceed. This is a significant development and one that will benefit the whole borough, not only will it retain existing jobs it will enable new ones to be created and support planned growth in the borough.’

The developer’s plans include green space and preservation of key areas of historic woodland.