Care home operator seeks amended planning permission to increase beds
A new operator which has acquired a site with planning permission for a care home near the Tunbridge Wells Hospital is now seeking to increase the number of beds on the plans. The Owlsnest Wood site was acquired from Quantum Group, also known as Octopus Healthcare, with permission to build a 76-bed health and wellbeing […]
County Council admits traffic ban signs are faulty
CONTROVERSIAL traffic signs on the Mount Pleasant Road bus lane have been found to be non-compliant with regulations as Kent County Council (KCC) have confirmed the “fault with our signage”. Meanwhile, questions remain about the scheme’s safety for pedestrians and issues with warning letters. According to the ‘Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016’ legislation, […]
Pub Cup returns to the town with big support
AN AWARD for the best pub in the town returns for the first time since Covid in effort to help promote local venues during the cost-of-living crisis. Martin Bryant, a Kent Police Detective from Tunbridge Wells, started the competition on social media as a “bit of fun” for him and his friends. He told the […]
Photo ID requirement could ‘exclude voters’
LOCAL elections on May 4 will be the first UK polls in which voters will need to show photo identification, but this requirement could end up excluding some people from the voting process – particularly the old and the young. In a recent meeting held by Soroptimist International Tunbridge Wells & District, attendees highlighted several […]
Bewl wins year-long fight on fishing lodge
PROPOSALS to convert a derelict fishing lodge at Bewl Water in Lamberhurst into four holiday apartments have been approved. It follows a 12-month appeal against the decision of the Wealden District Council who rejected the original application over ‘ecological concerns’. However, a government inspector has ruled in favour of the reservoir, concluding that the small-scale […]
Green grazing trial at Bewl Water to cut carbon and tackle invasive species
A NEW flock of sheep have been brought in to help maintain the biodiversity of southeast England’s largest reservoir, Bewl Water in Lamberhurst, Kent as part of ongoing efforts to improve long-term sustainability. Thirty Suffolk sheep were brought to Ferry Point, where there is no public footpath, as part of a one-month conservation grazing trial […]
Theatre gets over ‘bump in the road’ and is now set to hit target
TRINITY Theatre is on track to raise £100,000 by the end of this month and save the venue from closure. As of yesterday (February 7), the total stood at over £42,500, with nearly £9,000 in Gift Aid. “We look very, very likely to get over this bump in the road,” said Chief Executive Nick Mowat […]
Theatre bounces back from brink after desperate plea for funding
FINANCIALLY troubled arts venue Trinity has been rescued – at least for now – within a week of launching a crowdfunder that drew an ‘incredible’ response from the public. The theatre now faces a ‘robust’ financial makeover if it is to survive. Residents were shocked last week when it was revealed that the community arts […]
The housebound can now take a virtual walk through The Amelia
A ROBOT that allows people who are unable to leave their home to ‘walk’ through museums and other places has been trialled at The Amelia Scott centre. The ‘telepresence robot’, has a camera and screen, and can be controlled remotely by those people who are housebound. The trial at the Civic Way cultural centre is […]
Recovery for Bewl Water reservoir levels
Bewl Water – the largest body of open fresh water in the South East – has seen its water levels rise at ‘unprecedented rates’ according to officials, after battling one of the most intense droughts on record. The reservoir, near Lamberhurst, provides water to hundreds of thousands of people across Kent and East Sussex and […]
