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Stop Worrying About The Cost Of Living!
Mast you put this here?
UR E ER YO E AP FR L P CA LO
Wednesday January 25 | 2023
TOWERING How the 17-metre mast will look when erected in St John’s
TO THIS...
top Worrying Of Living?
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OBJECTIONS Schools and residents react to phone mast plans for St John’s Road. Full story page 5.
Motor village plans move to former John Lewis site By Richard Williams A PROPOSED motor village that was rejected by council planners more than two years ago, could be set for the former site of the John Lewis in the North Farm area of Tunbridge Wells. Car dealership group, Hendy, has applied for planning permission to build a ‘multi-million pound’ car dealership in Kingstanding Business Park on the site of the former department store. It had previously wanted to build a £25million dealership hub, which would have included showrooms and workshops, in Pembury next to the Tesco superstore. The original plans were subject to protests from villagers, a petition that garnered 1,000 signatures and scores of objections, including from Pembury
Parish Council. The scheme was eventually refused planning permission by councillors at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s (TWBC) planning committee in October 2020, who said they wanted to retain the Pembury site for a park and ride scheme,
‘As well as retaining jobs in the borough, our plans will reduce traffic into the town centre’ although plans for such a scheme was later dropped by the Council. At the time, Hendy said they would look at their options but were ‘confident’ they would ‘win any appeal’.
But rather than take the planning committee to the Government’s planning inspector, Hendy Group has now lodged a planning application to build a ‘fivebrand’ motor dealership on the abandoned one-hectare (2.4-acre) John Lewis site. A £200million business park by developers U+I is also being planned for the same area of Tunbridge Wells. The John Lewis store was one of eight closed by the chain in April 2021 when Covid restrictions were lifted, as the department store giant underwent a major shift in strategy to adapt to changing shopping habits. The application by Hendy is for a change
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