The Southborough Hub is to built with a rectangular footprint according to new plans issued to the public on Friday, with the previous "circle and two blocks" layout having been abandoned. The new plans were outlined at a Southborough Town Council meeting on Thursday, although no artist impressions as to how the building will actually …

Continue reading Southborough’s Hub Has New Shape

Southborough Town Council will meet tonight to be shown revised plans for the Southborough Hub development by Cllr Ian Kinghorn, who has told Southborough News that "these are exciting times for Southborough and we can at long last see the regeneration of Southborough". But Cllr Kinghorn (pictured below) confirmed that the revised designs must go …

Continue reading New Look for Southborough Hub to be Unveiled Tonight

Around 60 people attended two days of group tours explaining the history of Victorian Southborough's most famous family, the Salomons, as part of this year's Heritage Open Days. The Salomon Estate is now privately owned by the Markerstudy Group but under the terms of the donation of the house (originally to Kent County Council) by …

Continue reading History of Salomons Estate Explained in Heritage Open Day Tour

Brian Dury, who led a successful campaign against a major supermarket development on playing fields in Southborough ten years ago, has issued his first message as the new Chairman of the Southborough Society. Mr Dury (pictured below) said he wanted the Society to influence change in Southborough and attract new members.  He set out his …

Continue reading Campaigner Brian Dury Takes on Role as Southborough Society Chairman

New doubts have been placed on the Conservative Council's plans to take out a huge loan to build a new civic centre and theatre in Tunbridge Wells after two defeats for the Party in Thursday's Borough Council elections. While the Southborough votes followed usual trends, Nick Pope (pictured below) of the newly formed Tunbridge Wells …

Continue reading Voters Revolt Over Conservative Council’s Plans for £80 million Debt

In a new effort to increase use of bus transport and reduce pollution and congestion, Arriva have launched a new £1.50 single bus fare for travel in the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells area after 7pm. The fare is an extension of a successful trial by Arriva in Maidstone, where the cheaper evening fare increased passenger …

Continue reading New Cheap Bus Fare After 7pm Launched

Southborough's Member of Parliament, Greg Clark, was at the new Arriva Bus Depot in the North Farm Industrial Estate on Friday to declare the site officially open. Mr Clark (pictured below right) made a speech to bus workers and local councillors, telling them: "The new logo, the brightness of the new vehicles, the livery and …

Continue reading Greg Clark MP Sees “Sense of Optimism and Confidence” at Bus Depot Opening

At the 2018 annual Town Meeting, Southborough residents were told that a contractor to build the new Hub development would sign up to the job next month. The Town Council's representative on the Hub project, Ian Kinghorn (above), was asked about progress on the site which currently houses a large pile of rubble from the …

Continue reading Southborough Hub Community Facility Promised by Summer 2020

Bus users need to look out for changes to the timetable from Monday for the services that run along the A26 from Southborough to Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. The bus firm says the Spring changes are aiming mainly to sort out school transport congestion. Arriva says it is still examining the service on the A26 for commuters …

Continue reading New Spring Arriva Timetable Suggests Fewer Late Buses from Tonbridge

Southborough began the month of March 2018 covered in a beautiful blanket of snow.  Five inches fell on Tuesday in what appears to be the biggest snowfall for seven years. The picture above was taken in a sunny spell around 8am on Wednesday as I walked along the A26 from Soouthborough to Tonbridge station. Most …

Continue reading Snowbound Southborough in the Sun!