Consultation on the Draft Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Plan – Vision 2040
Contents
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is currently preparing a Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Plan. This consultation is the first stage in the process of preparing the Plan, called the ‘Draft Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Plan – Vision 2040’, and the council is seeking views on this, before moving on to the next steps.
We would really like to know your views at this early stage in the process:
- What do you think about the current town centre?
- What is important to you in the town and how would you like to see it evolve and develop in the future?
- What would you like to see included in the town centre?
Public Consultation
There is a public consultation during which time your views and representations may be made on the Draft Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Plan – Vision 2040, including any supporting documents below. Representations must be made in writing as set out below (under the heading ‘How to Make Representations’) and received within the consultation period, which runs from Friday 23 February until midnight on Monday 15 April 2024.
Consultation Documents
Main consultation document
Supporting documents
Consultants were commissioned to assist in the early preparations of the Town Centre Plan, including undertaking early engagement, the production of a Town Centre Study and other baseline reports below. These documents have informed and support the Draft Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Plan – Vision 2040:
Additional documents
The council has also worked with consultants to develop a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan Phase 1 and Phase 2 (see below), which have informed both the borough-wide Tunbridge Wells Submission Local Plan (October 2021) and now the Draft Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Plan:
Interactive Map
You can drop in suggestions and comments on this interactive map of the town centre.
Please note, this form does not constitute a formal site submission. To submit a site to the Call for Sites, please do so via the consultation portal.
Further information
Virtual exhibition
The council will be hosting exhibitions where you can find out more about the consultation on/at the following dates and venues:
| Date | Venue | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday 24 February 2024 | Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre, Tunbridge Wells (Upper Mall) | 10am to 2pm |
| Saturday 2 March 2024 | Christ Church, High Street, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1UT | 10am to 2pm |
| Tuesday 5 March 2024 | Vestry Hall, The Old Fire Station, Stone Street, Cranbrook TN17 3HF | 3.30pm to 6.30pm |
The consultation documents (hard/paper copies) are available for public inspection during the consultation period (23 February to 15 April 2024) at:
- The Amelia Scott, Mount Pleasant Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1AW, which is open from 9am to 6pm (Monday to Wednesday and on Friday), 9am to 8pm on Thursday, 9am to 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on a Sunday (Telephone 01892 526121).
- All Parish and Town Council Offices, for locations and contacts visit parish and town councils webpage.
- All libraries across Tunbridge Wells borough (Cranbrook, Hawkhurst, Paddock Wood, Pembury, Rusthall, Sherwood, Showfields and Southborough) - for locations and opening times visit libraries webpage.
Call for Sites
We carried out a ‘Call for Sites’ from June to August 2023 to help identify available and suitable sites to be considered to deliver the strategy and vision for Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre over the next 15 years until 2040. The sites that were submitted through this first Call for Sites have been compiled and included within the Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Site Assessment Report - January 2024. At this stage, the suitability of the site for development has not been assessed.
A further Call for Sites is running alongside the current consultation and the council is keen to hear about any sites in Royal Tunbridge Wells town centre which might be available for development or redevelopment up to 2040. Please let us know if you know of or own a site which you would like to be considered through this process. Further details can be found on the council’s Call for Sites webpage.
How to make representations
Online
The preferred method for submitting comments is online using our planning consultation portal. Please note that you do not need an account to comment through the portal, and if you leave the planning portal page before finalising your comments, it will save what you have written so far.
By email
A form can be downloaded as an MS Word document or written representations made by email to RTWTownCentrePlan@TunbridgeWells.gov.uk.
By Post
You can complete the above form or make written representations and send it to us at:
Planning Services,
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN1 1RS
If you have any queries or are seeking assistance, please email RTWTownCentrePlan@TunbridgeWells.gov.uk or telephone 01892 554056.