‘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 […]
Italian food business clashes with RVP over vision for Ely Court
A WAR of words over empty units in Royal Victoria Place’s (RVP) arcade of shops off Camden Road has revealed conflicting visions for the retail site. Eat Italiano, run by career businessman and market trader Egidio Rosa, has opened inside the shopping centre, but the company’s real dream is to take over the entire arcade […]
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 […]
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 […]
Show goes on despite wind destroying theatre
Hever Festival Theatre suffered a literal blow on Saturday July 15 when a branch from the iconic tulip tree on the theatre lawn broke off, fell on the theatre, and damaged the theatre roof beyond repair. Theatre Director Ailsa Molyneux says: “We are heartbroken as you can imagine… but we are not giving up”. On […]
Delays follow start of Pembury Road gas works
THE start of a six-week project to replace gas main pipes on Pembury Road (A264) has begun, resulting in heavier traffic on the A26 and the threat of delays to bin collections and transport to hospital. The A264 is closed to vehicles between its junction with the A21/A228 and the junction with Blackhurst Lane and […]
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 […]
