The Telephone House Development Tunbridge Wells -
Footprint / Layout
Blocks of Flats on the Church Road / York Road site, Tunbridge Wells

HISTORY:

May 1999: Telephone House, the present BT building, is declared derelict

January 2000: 1st planning application by Southgate Development (BT) and Crest Homes (South East) is refused at delegated level by officers of TWBC

October 2000: 2nd planning application by Southgate Development (BT) and Crest Homes (South East) is refused by Councillors of the Western Area Planning Committee of TWBC

July 2001: after the Public Inquiry in May, the Planning Inspectorate allows the appeal and grants planning permission.

• The four blocks of flats crammed into such a small space will adversely affect the Conservation Area. The proposal suggests profit over local amenities.
• The issues - high density, unsympathetic design, loss of light, loss of privacy, overshadowing, keeping the streetscape with trees, sole access/exit via York Road, parking problems, amenities on site - are ignored.

November 2001: British Telecom sell the site to Crest Nicholson

April 2002: Crest Nicholson Plc sell the site and the planning consent to the CALA Group

January 2003: CALA Homes (South) insist on implementing the plans which please no-one in Tunbridge Wells

How big was the influence of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council officers? The Notes of Architect Trevor Sutters, London, reveal that civil servants (Conservation Strategy Officer, Alan Legg, and Development Control Manager, David Prentis) took a leading role in the disastrous design of the Telephone House Development.

The 2nd Planning Application for the Development of Telephone House - CALA Homes took over Crest Nicholson's controversial planning permission

The Telephone House Neighbours Association informs on CALA Homes (South) Development : CALA Group acquired the controversial planning permission for the high density development of Telephone House site, Church Road / York Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1, Kent.