Royal Tunbridge Wells - The Local Press reports on Grot Spots

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ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS TOWN FORUM

26.06.10 - TUNNEL DERAILS SALE OF CINEMA Rail line under town ‘grot spot’ will cost additional millions to any developer

21.05.10 - EMPTY HOMES CLOSE TO A THOUSAND in Royal Tunbridge Wells and the Borough of Tunbridge Wells

09.05.10 - Letter - re: Arriva Bus and its ‘mega grot spot’ in RTW (1 May 2010)

08.05.10 - Cinema Site: Eyesore at the heart of town to go on open market Real hope at last as old cinema is put up for sale Buyer sought to submit plans for long-awaited regeneration

07.05.10 - EYESORE IS FOR SALE YET AGAIN The infamous grot spot: The old cinema site

03.05.10 - GROT SPOTS - EMPTY PROPERTIES In Royal Tunbridge Wells: Blighted by an empty house - for 12 years: With 650,000 unoccupied homes in England, why isn't more being done?

02.05.10 - ARRIVA BID PUTS FOCUS ON MEGA GROT SPORT £1.59bn deal (with Deutsche Bahn) may end Arriva bus depot blight (St. John's Road / Woodbury Park Road)

08.01.10 - COUNCIL MAY GO FOR ABC SITE Compulsory purchase for the Cinema Site?

21.08.09 - SEVEN DEADLY SINS RUINING OUR TOWN Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum calls on Council to clean up

15.08.09 - ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS CONSERVATION AREA AT RISK of neglect, decay, damaging changes Royal spa town's battle over a very modern mess

16.01.09 - FEARS THAT WOOLWORTH'S SITE WILL BECOME GROT SPOT IN ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS

14.11.08 - GROT SPOT TO DISAPPEAR AS REGENERATION GETS GO-HEAD 18.11.08 - AT LAST! THE GO-AHEAD FOR CINEMA SITE DEVELOPMENT Roy Bullock, Leader of the Council: "At long last this major grot spot will over the next few years disappear from the horizon and the town centre will be vastly improved."

08.08.08 - NEGLECTED STATION IS SET FOR REVAMP . . . National Station Improvement Programme between 2009 and 2014

01.07.08 - Starting to enhance Monson Colonnade

13.06.08 ABC SITE HOPES ( - at the end of August) "When will something be done about that site?"

13.06.08 - FUTURE AS CULTURAL CENTRE IS NEGLECTED What are the factors which have led to this sorry state of affairs?

23.05.08 - PRIDE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN IN TOWN But the town is currently falling way below the standards expected of a town boasting the Royal prefix. The overgrown verges have temporarily – we hope – turned the town into an eyesore.

09.05.08 - PLANS TO CLEAN UP 'GROT SPOT" Architects submit development plans for site of former cinema. Network Rail South East (owner of the railway tunnel running under the site) denied they were delaying the project.

02.05.08 - ENFORCEMENT OF THE BUSGATE - Action needed to put pedestrians first The Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum has, as one of its most important and pressing aims, to persuade the council to make the town centre more pedestrian friendly.

02.05.08 - TRADERS BEAR BRUNT OF FILTHY STREET SCENE

11.04.08 - TUNBRIDGE WELLS STATION IS IN LINE FOR A SET OF MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS . . . the project will run between 2009 and 2014

07.03.08 - Cinema site / Ritz building: "Development speculation has an ugly face." Letter to the editor and website comment

22.02.08 - GROT SPOT PLANS ARE READY TO BE UNVEILED The vision for the worst grot spot in Tunbridge Wells - the ABC cinema site - will be unveiled on Wednesday 27 February 2008.

15.02.08 - CATCHING COUNCIL TAX EVADERS IS ON OUR WISH LIST . . . what Tunbridge Wells Borough Council could or should have spent the money on . . . an ice rink, public toilets, a park and ride, the Pantiles and the Common, a cinema, grot spot improvement, recycling . . .

01.02.08 - GIVE US A TOWN WE CAN BE PROUD OF

29.01.08 - CRACKDOWN ON LANDLORDS WHO 'SIT' ON PROPERTY Around 1,400 homes in West Kent (about 600 across Sevenoaks district, 460 in Tunbridge Wells borough, and 288 in Tonbridge and Malling) are known to be empty for six months or longer and councils have told they now intend to get tough on owners. For more information visit www.no-use-empty.org

23.01.08 - EMPTY HOUSING CAMPAIGN West Kent (Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling) joint East Kent's 'No Use Empty Scheme'

18.01.08 - TOWN CORE IS ROTTEN AND WE ARE IN A MESS

27.12.07 - CLEANING UP TUNBRIDGE WELLS

14.12.07 - £60M-£75M OUTLAY COULD SAY GOODBYE TO GROT SPOT A multi-million pounds "landmark" development could replace Tunbridge Wells' most infamous grot spot (the run-down former ABC cinema site in the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells) by 2010.

07.12.07 - COMPETITION TO TRANSFORM TOWN CENTRE GROT SPOT Ideas for transforming one of the town's worst "grot spots" are being sought in a competition to design a new scheme for the dilapidated former cinema site in Tunbridge Wells town centre.

05.12.07 - CLEAN UP - Going ... Going ... . . . improve the appearance . . . action to tackle neglected buildings and pieces of land or 'grot spots' . . .

29.10.07 - TRAVIS PERKINS 'GROT SPOT' SEES MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS The improvements to make the site in Tunnel Road tidier included houses being demolished and a new fence.

10.09.07 - ROYAL OR NO LONGER ? . . . following on down the hill from this eye-sore (the old cinema) are yet more empty and run-down shops and units . . .

15.06.07 - KEY AREA OF ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS IS COMPLETE DISGRACE . . . new rash of bollards at Five Ways / Precinct – there are now 62 in this small area . . . .

08.06.07 - LOCAL GOVERNMENT reputation campaign is about councils working together to deliver these core actions: . . . "know your grot spots – and deal with them"

01.06.07 - UPS AND DOWNS . . . . we are sorry to criticise - the 'upper' part of the town is disappointing, once you get to the Town Hall . . . derelict buildings diagonally opposite the Town Hall . . .

08.05.07 - FIVE WAYS IS DRAB AND UNWELCOMING SAY THE PUBLIC "Around the Clock": Survey of users views about improving Five Ways

16.04.07 - Who is to Blame? KCC for poor standards or TWBC for its "can't be bothered attitude" ?

18.03.07 - REPORT: Highways / Environment / Townscape / Streetscene: Town Centre Lampposts Standards: Mount Pleasant and Crescent Road Streetlights

15.03.07 - TOUGHER MEASURES TO CRACK-DOWN ON ILLEGAL OUTDOOR ADVERTISEMENTS The unlawful advertisements and fly-posting database will enable enforcement officers within local planning authorities to input and extract details of prosecutions and formal cautions (The Town and Country Planning, Control of Advertisements, England, Regulations 2007)

09.03.07 - ACTION PLEDGE ON TOWN CENTRE DECAY Along the town's main artery four key buildings will be unoccupied. . . . there is concern among conservationists about the properties becoming grot spots, . . . Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark warned of a north-south divide in the town but was also upbeat about the regeneration plans.

12.01.07 - HISTORIC LAMPPOST GETS NEW HOME The lamppost, moved from Chapel Place in the summer 2006, has now been successfully restored to full working order and erected at its new location in Cumberland Walk, below the steps from Cumberland Gardens.

22.12.06 - MONUMENT RESTORATION Gower Fountain at Quarry Road / Albion Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells

24.11.06 - Website to tackle EAST KENT's 9000 EMPTY HOMES ( . . . and West Kent? - e.g. Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks?)

17.11.06 - KENT COUNTY COUNCIL pledges 5 million fund for EMPTY HOMES problem Empty Dwelling Management Orders were introduced under the Housing Act . . . to bring neglected and derelict properties back into habitable use . . .

09.11.06 - "Mt Pleasant Road is like a vein, which is very ill.” Over 90% of all economy and activity of the borough goes on in ONE square mile of the town centre. . . . little seems to be reinvested.

03.11.06 - STRIPE ME PINK ! UPROAR AT 'SHOCKING' SPLASH OF COLOUR . . . garish paintwork causing uproar . . . there is no difference to graffiti.

26.10.06 - Top Eyesores / GROT SPOTS in Royal Tunbridge Wells (autumn 2005) - revisited in autumn 2006 for RTW Town Forum Meeting 26 October 2006 - in presence of Robert Cottrill, Director of Planning and Development

20.10.06 - AWARDS FOR PRESERVING LOOK OF TOWN - Campaign against Grot Spots Stink pipes and croquet were among the winners at the Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society conservation and shopfront awards 2006.

13.10.06 - WAR ON THE GROT SPOTS (- editorial column) The problems the borough council has faces in recent years have been well doucmented. . . . . For if Mr Cottrill is a guide, the borough's environmental problems are not so much out of sight, out of mind but firmly on the radar and high on the agenda!

13.10.06 - Pledge to tackle eyesores and bring town together New planning director (Robert Cottrill) outlines vision for future.

13.10.06 - WAR ON THE GROT SPOTS Planning chief pledges action over eyesores Eyesores which disfigure the face of Tunbridge Wells are to be urgently tackled

13.10.06 - Traders (St John's Road) join forces in bid for parking . . . a number of areas of land that are in need of improvement. John Street is one of these. We are looking at the possibility of selling some or all of the car park site.

03.10.06 - It don't mean a thing if it ain't got a sting" WHY DO OUR NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAKE RULES THAT THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO ENFORCE ?

01.10.06 - PLANNING BLIGHT . . . . we face the prospect of “planning blight” from the station all the way up to the Five Ways clock, not a good situation for our town to be in when talk of unitary authority under Maidstone’s control is being bandied about

22.09.06 - PLEASE, NOT ANOTHER GROT SPOT (- editorial column) . . . . we look to the local planning authority to take a lead or even to give the impression that it is actively seeking to address the problems. Perhaps when all you see from your Town Hall window is the constant rebuke of the cinema site you are inured to what is happening further along the road. Out of sight, out of mind!

11.08.06 - LAMP'S FUTURE LOOKS DIM Renowned architect, Ptolemy Dean vowed to continue his fight to save a period lamp in Chapel Place in Tunbridge Wells

04.08.06 - HISTORIC SEWER VENT PIPES GET REVAMPED Following a joint campaign between the Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council as part of its Clean Neighbourhoods initiative, Southern Water has agreed to refurbish all 25 ornate cast iron sewer vent pipes in the town.

28.06.06 - CLEAN KENT FLYING SQUADS TAKE OFF IN WEST KENT The Clean Kent Campaign is keen to involve residents with knowledge of local areas by encouraging them to nominate areas for cleaning via the Clean Kent website www.cleankent.com or by calling 0845 345 0210.

16.06.06 - ILLEGAL ADVERTISING IN STREET CAUSES CONCERNS To report incidents of suspected fly posting - To contact TWBC street scene officers call 01892 554178 or e-mail streetscene@tunbridgewells.gov.uk

16.06.06 - GROT SPOT OWNER TOLD: CLEAN IT UP The redundant site near the petrol station on Eridge Road represented the neglect of some commercial and private properties in Tunbridge Wells and urged the council to act.

09.06.06 - SATELLITE DISHES Planning permission always needed in Conservation Areas Listed Building Consent may be required

31.05.06 - ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS TOWN FORUM WELCOMES ACTION ON LOCAL GROT SPOT 'Brighten up Royal Tunbridge Wells' Focus Group . . . to campaign for an improvement in the town’s general appearance.

18.05.06 - COUNCIL SEEKS GROT SPOTS CLEAN UP "The Council can also carry out enforcement action in specific circumstances and we are not afraid to do this."

27.03.06 - HIGHWAYS GROTS in Royal Tunbridge Wells - Pavements, Lampposts, Dirty Signs, Fly-posting, Street Furniture for RTW Town Forum Meeting 27 March 2006

26.03.06 - 'DISGUSTED' tackles PM [Tony Blair] over mess

19.02.06 - DISGUSTED OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS MOVES TO THE WEB While some visitors to Tunbridge Wells may not see beyond the smart Pantiles shopping area, at least one disgusted resident says the town is run-down. website: Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells

07.02.06 - Former Cinema Site Progress Update [empty since December 2000] Demolition is planned to commence in April, with construction following in July 2006.

27.01.06 - TOWN'S CHARACTER NEEDS SENSITIVITY Street clutter and a perceived lack of sensitivity towards the character of Tunbridge Wells by highways engineers is being tackled by the town hall.

27.01.06 - Former police houses sit empty anid homes crises With Langton Green residents feeling swamped under new housing developments, questions have been asked as to how two houses could have remained empty for years.

19.12.05 - Private Sector - EMPTY PROPERTIES in Royal Tunbridge Wells . . . targeting the 'problematic empties' and improving the condition of 'eyesore' properties, through the use of a range of enforcement powers where necessary, to improve the appearance of the street scene and prevent them from being a magnet for anti social behaviour.

16.12.05 - Encouraging discussions keep rail issues on track Watch out for changes at Tunbridge Wells train station following a successful meeting with the new station manager, which MP Greg Clark said was "very encouraging".

13.12.05 - CLAMPING DOWN ON ENVIRO-CRIME Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has launched a new Street Scene team to tackle grot spots around the borough. Street Scene Enforcement Officers will issue fixed penalty notices for a range of offences.

09.12.05 - HIT SQUAD SET TO WIPE OUT GRAFFITI From April 2006, the team will also be responsible for enforcing the 'Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act', which states that owners of private properties must clean graffiti from their buildings.

09.12.05 - Lack of action dispiriting (Letter: Stuart Page, Architect) 09.12.05 - Why aren't streets swept more often? (Letter: resident)

09.12.05 - 'GROT SPOT' OWNER IS FINED / OWNER TOLD TO IMPROVE 'GROT SPOT' The Owner of a building highlighted as one of Tunbridge Wells' top 10 "grot spots" has been fined £1,000 for not cleaning it up.

07.12.05 - GROT SPOT PROSECUTION Proof that the Council is serious about improving the appearance of the town for the benefit of all residents.

02.12.05 - EYESORE LIST IS PASSED ON TO TOWN HALL Campaign to clean up town applauded at forum meeting.

02.12.05 - Joined-up thinking will improve town (Letters: RIBA South East, TW Soroptimists, residents)

29.11.05 - Top Eyesores / GROT SPOTS in Royal Tunbridge Wells for RTW Town Forum Meeting 29 November 2005

25.11.05 (I.) - OUR DINGY TOWN (and how we could make our streets look so much better in anniversary year 2006) Conservation architect Ptolemy Dean has been a town resident for one year - but he already shows signs of becoming Disgusted by Tunbridge Wells LEANING ON THE COUNCIL TO MEND AN OLD LAMPOST It started with a lamppost but has ended with an alarming exposure of the threat to the unique heritage of Tunbridge Wells by leading conservation architect Ptolemy Dean.

25.11.05 (II.) - WHAT WE WANT IS VISION - continuing Mary Harris' [Courier chief reporter] promenade around town with TV's Ptolemy Dean.

25.11.05 - Spot-the-grot trail revisited. The Kent and Sussex Courier on 4 November 2005 revealed the campaign to rid the town of eyesore sites.

25.11.05 - Time to take up the gauntlet (News Item) TV expert and Tunbridge Wells resident Ptolemy Dean has shed new light on the declining street environment.

18.11.05 - Spot the Grot, Stop the Rot (Letter: resident) 18.11.05 - Grot Spots (Letter: Tunbridge Wells Twinning and Friendship Association)

18.11.05 - SHOPS ARE AN EYESORE ON ESTATE "It looks like Beirut," fumed a resident of Ramslye as he surveyed the boarded up and decaying shops in Ropers Gate which have stood empty for years.

11.11.05 - COMPANY MUST CLEAR EYESORE Prosecution if graffiti is not removed from derelict pub site.

11.11.05 - Falling into shabby decline (Letter: resident)

04.11.05 - COUNCIL ANSWERS QUESTIONS OVER "EYESORES".

04.11.05 - List of the Town's worst "Grot Spots". Factors spoiling the town.

04.11.05 (I.) - STOP THE ROT Clean up: A more pro-active stance on ugly buildings. Tunbridge Wells has lost its sparkle and the borough council is under-using its powers to stop the rot.

04.11.05 (II.) - OUR TOWN LOST ITS SPARKLE As Tunbridge Wells gears up for its 400th anniversary, it comes in for ciriticism from one of its residents who says 'eyesores' across the town are no cause for festivities. Derelict and graffiti-daubed buildings, broken road signs, jungle-like gardens and barbed wire - all can be seen during a brief tour of Tunbridge Wells.

04.11.05 (III.) - Shining Example on the coast. The Turnaround of the "shabby town" of Hastings through the efforts of its borough councils was held up as a shinning example.

20.10.05 - ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS: "GEORGIAN ELEGANCE AND NATURAL BEAUTY" - Section 215 - Why don't we use it?