As revealed in the Times in November, Council Leader Tom Dawlings wants to draft a new plan for Royal town to boost trade in the wake of the Covid pandemic and the changing face of the High Street.
The blueprint to revitalise the town centre comes after Robert Jenrick, the then government minister for Communities and Local Government said he was ‘surprised that the prosperous town of Tunbridge Wells looked so shabby’ following a visit last year.
On Monday [January 17], the first meeting of stakeholders – those with a vested interest in the town centre – met to discuss a new vision for the town.
Once drafted, the town centre plan will be sent to the Planning Inspector and is scheduled for adoption by 2025.
It will be the first published plan for the town centre in Tunbridge Wells for more than a decade and a half.
Much of the focus of the new Town Centre Area Working Group, which met in the Town Hall and over Zoom, will be looking at changing the top of the town – the area around the precinct and RVP shopping centre.
Traders at the top of Mount Pleasant Road have been struggling with footfall in recent years in comparison to their busier counterparts in the High Street and The Pantiles.
Leader Tom Dawlings, who has spearheaded the new town centre plan, has proposed to ‘shrink the town centre’ on the more extreme parts of the shopping areas and convert them to residential.
He told the Times this week: “When I was elected as leader, I expressed the view that the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells is vitally important for the economic wellbeing of the borough.
“With this in mind, I see the work being done by the new group set up to develop a Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Plan as critical for the future.
“The Town Centre Plan will be the ‘land-use-planning’ element of the strategy with the Council’s other strategies – economic development, parking, transport and culture – all aligned.
“It will involve significant engagement with residents from all ages and sectors of the community, businesses and stakeholders and it is important that all these views are sought to make the plan relevant. I would hope that over time all organisations in the town centre will be working towards the same vision.”
