THE BRIEF
👍 Homes Approved Despite Concerns: Tunbridge Wells councillors have approved plans for 125 homes at Ramslye Farm, despite concerns from local campaigners. The committee voted five to one in favour of the scheme, which will include 40% affordable homes. Campaign group Dry Wells Action had called for a delay until South East Water could share new details on local water supplies. Other residents raised concerns about road safety on the A26 and the loss of farmland. The council said it had reviewed all the evidence, including water supply, before reaching its decision. Campaigners remain concerned about the impact of further housing on local services. Read the full story
🎱 Snooker Hall to Fight On: The owner of the Victoria Snooker Centre says he will fight plans that would force the club out of its home. Graham Martin's club sits in the former Friendly Societies Hall in Camden Road. The borough council wants to replace most of the building with a three-screen boutique cinema, a leisure hub and five restaurant units.
It says it will keep and improve the frontage. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport turned down an emergency bid by the civic society to list the 150-year-old hall. Historic England also advised a certificate blocking any listing for five years. Martin said he was bitterly disappointed and would go to the bitter end. The club has 431 members, welcomes thousands of guests a year and hosts charity events and groups for disabled and disadvantaged people.
It has run two professional exhibitions a year and has hosted Ronnie O'Sullivan and Steve Davis. The council says it never wanted the club to close, but the regeneration means it must move. It has encouraged the club to look at other premises and is checking its own property estate. A petition to save the centre has gathered 6,206 verified signatures. Read more here.
🏘️ Submit Your Land: Landowners and residents now have until 26th October to put land forward for future development. The borough council extended its Call for Sites deadline last week. The exercise had been due to close on 28th September. It is the first stage of a review of the Local Plan, which will set out where the borough grows between 2029 and 2044.
Anyone can submit a site through the council's Call for Sites webpage. Officers then check each one for suitability, availability and deliverability. Sites can be put forward for housing, jobs, community facilities, leisure or green space. The current Local Plan was adopted in December 2025 and committed the council to start a review within six months. Read more here.
🌳 Commons Campaign Continues: Campaigners still want to buy Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons for the public. The land remains on the market with owner Targetfollow, and the sale now includes the Upper Pantiles. Friends of the Commons chairman Roger Barton confirmed the group is still pursuing public ownership.
More than 3,000 people backed an earlier expression of interest, and the group submitted a bid. Targetfollow rejected that bid along with others, then put the land back up for sale in a larger package. The Friends had valued the Commons at around £1 million, including the car park on Major Yorks Road.
At public meetings in the Camden Centre, a guide price of £1.5 million was suggested. Anyone who pledged money and has changed their mind should contact the group through its website. Read more here.
0️⃣ Kent's Special Needs Is Lacking: Kent families still face inconsistent support for children with special educational needs. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission inspected county services in July and published their report last week. The eight-page report points to delays in assessment, uncertainty over support, and a process that many parents find lengthy and stressful. Inspectors set six areas for improvement. These cover the quality and timeliness of education, health and care plans, better data, stronger communication with families, and less variation between areas.
Inspectors also found stronger partnership working and better strategic leadership. Kent County Council called the report a fair assessment and said it is no longer systemically failing children with special needs. The Liberal Democrat opposition disagreed and called on the cabinet member for education and skills to resign. The council and the NHS say work has already begun on the recommendations. Read more here.
🏓 Table Tennis Pro Retains Title: Will Bayley says his latest win was his best performance of the season. The Tunbridge Wells player retained his class 7 title at the ITTF World Para Elite Yvelines in France. He beat Chile's Claudio Bahamondes 3-0 in the final, taking the sets 11-6, 11-1 and 11-5. On the way he came through a tough opener against Patrick Vaughan, then beat Poland's Michal Deigsler to top his group.
He swept past Sweden's Jonas Hansson in the quarter-final and world number three Sayed Youssef in the semi. Bayley now has eight weeks before the World Para Championships in Thailand in November. He said his movement felt good and his forehand timing has improved. Read more here.
