Apartment block development prompts safeguarding concerns
PLANS for an extra floor to be added to a block of flats in Tunbridge Wells have been approved despite local concerns around parking and safety at a nearby nursery. The plans for an additional 11 apartments to be built on a new fourth floor at Hamilton Court on Chilston Road were approved by the […]
‘Great progress’ on Pembury Road gas works
SGN Southern Gas Networks has confirmed that the gas works which have closed Pembury Road for six weeks are on schedule to finish on time for a reopening at the beginning of September. Spokesman Dan Brown told the Times: “Our engineers are making great progress replacing our old pipes along A264 Pembury Road. “We’re currently […]
Hotels bounce back with a boom
HOTELS across Tunbridge Wells are currently reporting their highest occupancy rates since before the Covid-19 pandemic, recording “fantastic levels of demand” this summer. Hotels across the town have welcomed the industry boom and revealed impressive occupancy rates of 80 to 100 per cent since the start of the summer holidays. The Tunbridge Wells Hotel […]
Work on ABC Cinema site to begin in ‘early 2024’
AN END to Tunbridge Wells’ most infamous eyesore is in sight, as developers have confirmed an approximate start date for construction and announced a new community artwork to smarten up the site’s hoardings. The former ABC Cinema was closed in 2000 and demolished in 2014, but after multiple failed projects, the centrally-located plot has been […]
Parents fear vape shops target children
PARENTS are calling for “urgent action” over concerns that more children will be encouraged to take up vaping following the opening of a new vape shop in Tunbridge Wells, just a short distance from a local secondary school. The new shop opening in London Road, Southborough, is less than a five-minute walk from St Gregory’s […]
Protesters rally against HGVs using cut-through
LORRIES using an illegal diversion through a housing estate in Tunbridge Wells sparked a local campaign last week against Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) using the road. Sherwood residents living near Liptraps Lane are “very unhappy” as a result of massive industrial lorries squeezing down the tight residential street. Last Wednesday (July 26), councillors and locals […]
Gold medal Special Olympian visits No. 10
A HOCKEY player from Tunbridge Wells was invited to Downing Street by the Prime Minister in recognition of her achieving gold for Great Britain at the 2023 Special Olympic World Games in June. Ellen Greenall and members of the GB Hockey Team attended a celebratory garden party at 10 Downing Street to recognise their fantastic […]
She’s a Barbie girl living in… Tunbridge Wells
A REAL-life Barbie lives closer to town than you might imagine. A local communications manager showed off her bright pink kitchen last week in the run-up to the release of the much-anticipated Barbie movie, which opened last weekend. Lucy Saxton-Quinn, 39, proudly presented her uniquely-coloured kitchen fitted with flamingo-pink cupboards, rose-gold taps and pastel-pink accessories […]
Family desperate for SEN place after being ‘failed’ by Council
A TUNBRIDGE Wells mother who has been waiting a year and a half for appropriate school placement for her autistic son believes that the County Council has “given up” on her child. Jemma Maddock, the mother of five-year-old Arthur Maddock, who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has been attempting to enrol her son into a […]
Error in traffic ban fine leads to successful appeal
MOTORISTS contravening a bus lane in Tunbridge Wells could see their fines overturned as incorrect wording on the letters has meant the fines are legally defective. From the traffic ban on Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) has issued more than 25,373 penalties since enforcement commenced on March 20, hitting each driver with […]
