The plan by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to borrow £90million to build new council offices and theatre in the town is on the brink of collapse after a devastating set of local election results for the ruling Conservative Group. The leader of the Borough Council, David Jukes, lost his seat of Speldhurst and Bidborough. And …
Conservatives Defeated Heavily on Town Council but “too late” to stop Hub
There has been a heavy defeat for the Conservatives on Southborough Town Council, putting Labour in charge of the new council with support from Liberal Democrats. But it seems to be too late to make any major changes to the Southborough Hub plans. Labour's Nick Blackwell (below) told Southborough News that he was overwhelmed by …
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Southborough’s Big Vote on Thursday
Southborough residents only get a chance to vote for their representatives on the Town Council once every four years and that big day is coming soon - Thursday 2nd May. The Conservatives currently have a big majority on the Town Council and they have used their time in power to press ahead with plans to …
Emmetts Garden Provides Springtime Inspiration for Gardeners
The National Trust's Emmetts Garden is only 20 minutes drive from Southborough and its exotic shrubs are currently displaying magnificent springtime colours to energise local gardeners. In contrast to this weekend's sadly overcast weather, a fortnight ago (see below) the sun was shining brightly on Emmetts Garden, which is one of the highest spots in …
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Wanted! Old News About Pennington Road
Southborough has a rich history to celebrate and on this blog over the coming year I hope to uncover first hand memories of how people lived in the town over the past 150 years. In the past decade it has become much easier to trace the names and occupations of the people who lived in …
Scaled-back Southborough Hub Plans Win Approval from Planners
The latest plans for the Southborough Hub were approved by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Planning Committee last week with one Conservative councillor abstaining and the remaining 10 councillors voting in favour. In a social media post, the man overseeing the scheme for Southborough, Ian Kinghorn said: "This has been a long journey to get to …
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Local Priest says Southborough Hub: “Could Turn into a Complete Disaster”
The strong feelings at last week's first ever Southborough Town Meeting on the latest Hub plans have not yet prompted a major response on the Tunbridge Wells Planning Portal, where residents' chance to place objections runs out soon. Only 27 people had registered comments as of Monday afternoon. Below is a 3 minute youtube video …
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Angry Town Meeting Calls for More Consultation About Southborough Hub
The first ever Town Meeting in Southborough saw 180 people approve a motion arguing that trust had broken down between the community and Southborough Town Council and calling for the formation of a new advisory group to include theatre and other community groups. The meeting was called under legislation that allows two Councillors to call …
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Public Meeting on Tuesday as Critics say Southborough Hub will be a “Dysfunctional Building”
Southborough's first ever "Town Meeting" will be held next week to find out what residents think of the newly revised Southborough Hub scheme to spend £10 million on a new hall, library, medical centre and football pavilion. The Hub replaces the demolished Royal Victoria Hall Theatre (pictured below in May 2017). But critics say the …
Council Responds to Public Concerns About Southborough Hub Design
The Councils designing the Southborough Hub have responded to public comments and it appears the plans may be changed to incorporate a larger kitchen or bar. A new planning application is scheduled to be submitted in November 2018 with an outcome early in 2019 prior to start on site in 2019. Compared with the original …
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