Published: Wednesday, 23rd August 2023
Plans for a new community hall and shop, homes, additional parking and other improvements on the Spitals Cross estate, Edenbridge have moved forward after planning permission was granted.
The Fircroft Tenants’ & Residents’ Association (FTRA) club building and the existing shop were built in the 1960s and have served the community well for many years. But both are now in need of improvement. Parking on the estate has also become a problem in recent years. Few people owned a car when the London County Council built the estate 60 years ago, but the area has now become congested with many residents struggling to park their vehicles.
Following two consultations last year, the Council produced a planning application that took on board residents’ comments, including fewer new homes than first proposed and providing more parking spaces.
The application proposed parking for 41 vehicles, including some with electric charging points, and a modern community hall with a fit-for purpose multi-use hall, kitchen and improved storage so it could once again become a community and events space at the hub of the estate for clubs, charities and groups of all ages.
The shop would be modernised to continue to provide a valuable retail offering to local residents and the wider community.
Other improvements include cycle parking, better signage, enhanced landscaping and a new play area, which could be managed by Edenbridge Town Council.
The plans include 23 new high-quality, environmentally-friendly and efficient homes that would help pay towards the wider improvements on the estate. Each home will have its own dedicated parking space (these are in addition to the 41 new communal parking spaces).
The Council’s Development Management Committee agreed to grant planning permission, subject to a legal agreement, at its meeting on 17 August 2023.
A building contractor is expected to be appointed this autumn with works beginning before the end of this year.
Cllr Julia Thornton, Leader of the Council, says:
“We are delighted that planning permission has now been granted for this significant package of improvements, the biggest on the Spitals Cross estate since it was built, to give local residents the facilities and amenities they deserve and need.
“Residents have been telling us for some time that finding a parking space on the estate is often difficult and while the shop and club have served residents well for many generations, they have become dated and are now in need of replacement.
“These extensive improvement works, funded by the new homes, will help ensure the Spitals Cross community can thrive for generations to come.”
Further information is available at www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/spitalscross.
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