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New housing development threatens Southborough's most beautiful views into Sussex and residents only have until 5pm on Monday 12th June to register their objections as part of a Borough Council consultation on new developments. Residents who use the picturesque footpath from Birchwood Avenue into Birch Wood have discovered a map which appears to suggest Camp …
Continue reading Southborough’s Best View Threatened By New Housing
A massive reclamation effort by a Kent firm means the heritage of the tens of thousands of bricks from the demolished Royal Victoria Hall will live on in new buildings. A team of workers from a family business run by Tony Caudwell has been carefully removing the mortar from the RVH's Victorian bricks and placing …
Continue reading Royal Victoria Hall’s Valuable Bricks are For Sale in East Farleigh
Antonia Francis (below) was one of the stars of the 2017 Southborough Family Fun Day as she vividly discussed with curious onlookers her days on the road with her beautifully preserved Austin Seven Ruby Classic Car. She explained how she had twice driven from Land's End to John o'Groats in the car - a distance …
It has emerged that Southborough Council has made no plan to salvage the distinctive plaster decorative features next to the stage of the Royal Victoria Hall. The picture and the film below shows the state of demolition up to Sunday afternoon 14th May 2017. It is understood that saving the plaster decorative features would require …
Continue reading RVH Plasterwork Decorations are “Too Expensive” to Salvage
Having already trimmed services at peak times last month, the Arriva Bus Company has just announced that its services that directly link Southborough with Bromley will end in July, unless it can get further Kent County Council funding. Arriva is owned by Deutsche Bahn, which is the massive nationalised rail operator for all of Germany. …
Continue reading Bus Firm Requests Cash From County Council Amid New Cuts and Higher Fares
The winner of last week's County Council election for the seat comprising Southborough says he is "acknowledging feedback from the community" regarding the lack of information about how the new Hub development will pay for itself. Peter Oakford told Southborough News that "as soon as the commercial negotiations are complete" he would request that the …
Continue reading Conservatives Promise to Publish Business Plan as Demolition Continues
The man who has masterminded the radical new Hub development in Southborough, Peter Oakford, was reelected for another four year term by 42% of voters in the "Tunbridge Wells North" constituency in yesterday's Kent County Council election. The opposition to the Conservatives was split between Labour with 26% and the Liberal Democrat with 25%. The …
Continue reading Conservatives win Southborough’s County Council Seat with 42% of vote
The Annual Town Meeting held on Wednesday gave an opportunity for ordinary residents to explain their concerns with the two hours dominated by the Hub project and anger at the replacement of garages with more housing. The full audio of the meeting is available here in 5 parts. LISTENING TIP FOR iPHONES: Click on the …
Continue reading Southborough’s Angry Voices at Annual Town Meeting 2017
Residents in Southborough will go to the polls on Thursday 4th May to vote for their Kent County Councillor, with opposition parties attempting to reduce the Conservative vote by capitalising on local concern about new house building plans and the decline of the town's shops and facilities. In the last week, the last cafe in …
Continue reading Key Local Election Vote for Southborough on Thursday
At this year's Southborough Town Meeting, residents were given a pledge that their Council tax bill would not rise as a result of the Southborough Hub development. Cllr Peter Oakford (left in picture below) told the meeting that: "The worst case scenario (for the theatre hire revenue) is based on 50 per cent of the …
Continue reading Pledge that Southborough Hub Means “No Increase” in Council Tax Bills
