Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

TONBRIDGE CENTRAL AREA ACTION PLAN

POSITION STATEMENT No TON03

Context Statement

Borough Council Freehold Ownership

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TONBRIDGE & MALLING LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

Position Statement No TON03

Tonbridge – Context Statement

1 Introduction

1.1 This Position Statement does not specifically address any particular representations. It is intended to provide the context for:

• Position Statement TON01 dealing with Development-related Issues, and

• Position Statement TON02 dealing with Transport-related issues

2 Description

2.1 Tonbridge Town Centre lies at the historic bridging point of the River Medway overlooked by Tonbridge Castle. This was the only road bridging point of the river until the A21 Tonbridge Bypass and Cannon Lane were built in the 1960s. Retail uses stretch for some 1.5Km along the High Street from the Bordyke in the north nearly to Brook Street in the south, though the main shopping area lies between the railway and the Big Bridge across the Medway. Most retail units in this area are old and relatively small by present day standards. The only large units (Sainsburys, Waitrose/Iceland and Beals) lie to the east of the High Street in the proximity of extensive areas of ground level car parking. These large units are linked via the Botany and by two small shopping malls (Angel Walk and The Pavilion) with the High Street. One of the most unusual characteristics of central Tonbridge is its proximity to open countryside which is within a few minutes walk from the west side of the High Street.

2.2 Tonbridge Station lies at the southern end of the High Street. It is one of the busiest stations on the southeast network. It lies at the junction of four lines: to London via Sevenoaks; to Redhill (and Gatwick); to Hastings via Tunbridge Wells and to Ashford (International). Tonbridge is also at the confluence of a series of main roads with three radials in the north; the B2015 from Sevenoaks via Hildenborough; the A227 from Gravesend via Borough Green and Ightham and the A26 from Maidstone via Hadlow converging at the northern end of the High Street with Pembury Road and Quarry Hill Road joining at the southern end of the High Street both leading to the A21 and to Tunbridge Wells.

2.3 The northern High Street and the riverside is designated as a Conservation Area and contains the Parish Church, the Castle and a number of other important listed buildings. There is considerable new housing development in the town centre at the Cattle Market and alongside and overlooking the River Medway principally to the east of the Big Bridge where former industrial buildings have been redeveloped or converted to residential use. To the east of the main retail area lies the Tonbridge Industrial Estate that was mainly built in the 1960’s and 1970’s, though there are some older areas near the river. Further out on Cannon Lane is an area of retail warehousing.

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2.4 Tonbridge has always suffered as a retail centre due to its proximity to Tunbridge Wells and to the impact of traffic through the main shopping area. The Annual Monitoring Report identified trends in the retail area that give some cause for concern in terms of reductions in footfall and increased vacant units. On the other hand, the interest in residential development in the centre is high and there is also pressure for new retail development that the Area Action Plan aims to respond to in a pro-active way.

3 Strategic Context

3.1 Tonbridge is identified in the South East Plan, together with Tunbridge Wells, under Policy CC8c as a Regional Hub. The Regional Transport Strategy establishes the principle of regional hubs as locations where the provision (or potential to provide) a range of multi-modal transport services supports the concentration of land uses and economic activity in a suitable manner. As accessible settlements of regional significance they are to be the focus of development and investment in transport systems that leads to an increase in the overall level of accessibility, thereby supporting the urban focus of the spatial strategy.

3.2 The South East Plan says that Regional Hubs should aspire to accommodate higher density development, meet the economic and social needs of the settlement and develop enhanced links to the local economic area in order to provide a highly accessible focus for employment, community, retail, leisure and cultural services. Policy CC8c(ii) says that , recognising their location within the Green Belt “full and effective use of development capacity will be pursued within the Regional Hub of Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells. This should provide for a balance of business, commercial and residential development with particular attention paid to meeting locally based needs for housing and business premises, and improving the links between the two urban areas.... At Tonbridge, development will be concentrated on substantial regeneration sites in and near to the town centre. Under sub-section (iv) of the Policy it says that Tonbridge (and Maidstone) should be the focus for the expansion and investment in new further or higher education facilities. It also says that high quality proposals for intensifying the technology and knowledge sectors will be supported at established and suitable new locations. Regional Hubs are locations where priority will be afforded to improvements in accessibility.

3.3 Tonbridge is also identified (together with Tunbridge Wells) under Policy TC2 of the South East Plan as a Primary Regional Town Centre. This Policy indicates that such centres will be the focus for major retail development; uses which attract large numbers of people including major cultural, tourism, social and community venues; employment uses (including large scale leisure and office developments) and a range of housing, where possible provided as part of wider mixed use developments. Policy TC3 indicates that town centres will be the prime focus for large scale leisure, office and culture and retail developments to meet identified needs taking into account:

• the need to support the pre-eminent town centre’s functions, viability and capacity to accommodate change and growth;

• the need to respect the historic character and environment and cultural value of each centre;

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• the need to assist with the regeneration of vulnerable centres where new investment of an appropriate scale should be promoted

• the need to support sustainability objectives, particularly in the case of regional hubs;

• the impact of traffic and the need to minimise reliance on the car and promote public transport accessibility.

3.4 The Tonbridge and Malling Core Strategy Policy for the Town Centre is Policy CP24 which, pursuant to the above South East Plan policies seeks to provide for a sustainable development pattern of retail, employment housing and leisure uses and a range of other uses to regenerate and enhance the vitality and viability of the town centre.

4 Development Plan and Transport Planning History

(Annex A illustrates the evolution of the Transport Strategy)

4.1 A Town Centre Plan in the mid 1960’s proposed the full pedestrianisation of the High Street in association with a complex set of new highway proposals which, at the time, included a series of grade-separated interchanges. The aim was to accommodate retail uses in the centre of the town south of the Big Bridge within an area confined by extended service roads to the rear of premises in the High Street. Further new retail uses were to be provided on the Cattle Market site together with a multi-storey car park. This was all before the designation of the Tonbridge Conservation Area.

4.2 Following a series of refinements aimed at reducing the cost and environmental impact of the road schemes during the 1970s a more fundamental review was undertaken in the early 1980s jointly with Tunbridge Wells to inform the preparation of the Tonbridge and Hildenborough Local Plan. It was at this time that the Eastern Relief Road, from Higham Lane in the north to Quarry Hill Road in the south, was replaced by a much shorter Inner Relief Road. This sought to access the town centre and link together the three radial routes to the north of the town with the two radial links to the south. This was augmented by a new proposal aimed at directly linking Cannon Lane with the A21 at Vauxhall so that the main approach to the town centre from the primary road network would be from this direction rather than through Hildenborough (via London Road) and Southborough (via Quarry Hill Road). Full pedestrianisation of the High Street was still a proposal at the time though buses were to be allowed through.

4.3 This transport strategy formed the basis of the Tonbridge and Hildenborough Local Plan which was adopted in 1987. The town centre development strategy was to concentrate future major retail development in the Central Shopping Core within the line of the Inner Relief Road between the Big Bridge and Vale Road. The Angel Centre and Sainsburys development had been implemented in the early 1980’s and the Council’s aim was to improve links between that development and the High Street by encouraging the redevelopment of shops on the east side of the High Street to include the pedestrian malls which have subsequently been built.

4.4 The transport strategy was carried forward virtually unaltered into the Tonbridge and Vicinity Local Plan which was adopted in1993. The only change was a revision of the

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alignment of the relief road around the central shopping core to create a more viable development site. It was still proposed to work towards full pedestrianisation of the High Street. The development strategy in the Tonbridge and Vicinity Local Plan was based upon identifying a series of major development opportunities including land in the Botany area, the Cattle Market and the Vale Road Goods Yard site.

4.5 The Urban Transport Strategy for the town was comprehensively reviewed in 1995 to inform the preparation of the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Local Plan. In1997 there was a wider review of the entire County capital programme, as a result of which the expensive section of the Inner Relief Road bridging the Medway to connect Sovereign Way to Cannon Lane was abandoned as was the proposal to dual the northern section of Cannon Lane. This revised highway network therefore formed the basis of the transport strategy that was taken forward into the Local Plan that was adopted in 1998. The only significant missing link in the network that remained to be implemented was the London Road/Hadlow Road Link. The proposal for the High Street was to progressively introduce pedestrian domination in the High Street at off-peak times because the transport study had concluded that the High Street needed to remain open to traffic during peak periods. In terms of the development strategy the Local plan continued to promote the development of the Vale Road Goods Yard site, the Cattle Market and land north of the Botany Stream where the Waitrose and Iceland Stores have now been built.

4.6 In 2000 the Transport Strategy was reassessed to inform the review of the Local Plan but the main elements, including the continued safeguarding of the London Road/ Hadlow Road link and measures to reduce traffic levels in the High Street and improve conditions generally for pedestrians have been retained, complemented by a series of softer transport measures including better signage, improvements to public transport and safer routes to school. This is the transport strategy that has been brought forward, effectively unaltered, into Tonbridge Central Area Action Plan.

4.7 The current transport strategy has therefore evolved and emerged over many years. It has been progressively altered to reflect prevailing transport policy having regard to realistic prospects of implementation. Many elements of the evolving strategy have already been delivered. Other elements have been refined and brought forward into the Area Action Plan to reflect a sound approach to transport strategy.

4.8 In terms of development strategy the Town Centre Area Action Plan identifies the significant potential that exists for comprehensive redevelopment of the Botany Area to the east of the High Street as well as the continuing potential to develop the Goods Yard sites in association with a redevelopment of the Station. Other smaller development sites are identified to the west of the High Street together with significant development opportunities alongside the river to the east of the Big Bridge, many already with planning permission. Perhaps the most significant land use change between the previous plans and the present one is the significant increase in the amount of residential development now proposed in the central area of the town. This is complementary to the wider strategy of protecting the countryside and the Green Belt from encroachment and has enabled the Council to proposed returning some of the Lower Haysden Lane Safeguarded Land back to the Green Belt (see Position Statement CS02).

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5 Implementation and Deliverability

5.1 The Borough Council is a major landowner in the centre of Tonbridge (See Annex B). One of the Council’s key corporate objectives is to bring forward proposals to enhance and regenerate Tonbridge Town Centre. To this end, and in the light of the local planning studies that have identified significant potential for further retail development in the town1, the Council is responding to developer interest by seeking to bring forward as a priority the comprehensive development of the area between the Botany Stream and Vale Road. A draft Planning Brief 2 for this area has been prepared and has been subject to targeted consultation over the summer. Once adopted, this will form the basis of any planning application that is submitted. In July the Council resolved to work in partnership with Sainsburys to bring forward this comprehensive development which will include, or make provision for, the replacement and enhancement of community and recreation facilities currently on the site. A planning application from Sainsburys is expected early next year.

5.2 As Annex B demonstrates the Borough Council owns certain other land within the town centre on the west side of the High Street. It will be the Council’s intention to take an equally pro-active stance in bringing forward appropriate development on these sites in accordance with the Area Action Plan in due course once work on the priority site to the east of the High Street is under way.

5.3 The Council is in communication with Network Rail over the development of its land at the station, including the redevelopment and comprehensive improvement of the station itself. Viability studies have been undertaken and draft schemes prepared and discussed at officer level. The Area Action Plan proposals are supported by Network Rail (subject to an increase in capacity) and it is anticipated that development will take place well within the plan period.

5.4 The County Council owns the library site on the corner of Avebury Avenue and is actively in negotiation with the Borough Council over the possibility of relocating the library into the Botany development area. This will release the Avebury Avenue site for redevelopment in accordance with the Area Action Plan.

5.5 Redevelopment of the Cattle Market for high quality housing development is under way. A planning application is outstanding in respect of the land immediately north of the Cattle Market site. It is anticipated that the development of this site will proceed, effectively as an extension of the Cattle Market development. This will enable the completion of the Lansdown Road link which will facilitate the reduction of traffic in Bank Street and Castle Street with a view to their environmental enhancement.

5.6 The development of sites along the River Medway on both banks east of the Big Bridge is continuing with some of the identified sites now with planning permission. Other housing and mixed-use schemes are still to come forward in accordance with the Area Action Plan. Sovereign House, immediately to the north of Botany Stream, has been sold and a comprehensive high-density redevelopment scheme primarily for residential use is anticipated.

1 RD 7.5 Nathaniel Lichfield Stage 1 Retail Study 2 RD 7.30 - Botany Area Draft Planning Brief

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5.7 The Council is progressing with the preparation of a Supplementary Planning Document to take forward the Tonbridge Regeneration Fund pursuant to Policy TCA19. This will provide finance mainly for public realm improvements and to provide a contribution towards road schemes that would not be justified by individual proposals (eg pedestrian improvements in the High Street and the London Road/ Hadlow Road link that lies outside the Central Area). The intention is that such improvements will be brought forward in a programme in parallel with new development on the sites identified in the Area Action Plan.

5.8 In the light of the above, the Council is confident that its development and regeneration strategy for the town centre is realistic and deliverable.

6 Conclusion

6.1 Tonbridge is a town in need of regeneration but now under pressure for development. It is important that the Council takes a pro-active stance in promoting appropriate development and redevelopment in the best interests of the town centre and of the local community. This, the Area Action Plan seeks to achieve.

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Borough Council Freehold Ownership

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Annex B

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