Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘We must stop loss of offices’
A senior cabinet member in Tunbridge Wells has called for an end to commercial property being converted into residential use.
It comes after the town saw 200,000sq ft of commercial space lost over the last five years to residential under Permitted Development Rights.
Cllr Jane March, deputy leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is now calling for a halt.
It comes after Tunbridge Wells Together, a group of key leaders and businesses in the town united to try to put at end to further space being lost locally.
Cllr March said: “We believe the number of those commuting will permanently decrease, with more working flexibly, part-time or in businesses locally.
“With the positive increase in town footfall, comes new and different demands for office space. I would like to call for a refocus to steer developments towards office space.”