Development of the ABC Cinema Site
Mount Pleasant Road / Church Road, Tunbridge Wells

The Ritz Building - The deteriorating ABC Cinema Site - since December 2000

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 9 July 2010
COUNCIL MAY BUY DERELICT CINEMA - by Mary Harris

Leader says new owner must get on with the work
NOT SO HOT PROPERTY: The ABC cinema site has been put up for sale and the council is considering putting in an offer

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is considering buying the town's most infamous grot spot, the Courier can reveal. The town's ugliest building, the derelict ABC Cinema, is up for sale but to date there have been no purchase offers. The closing date is August 16. It has lain empty since 2000 and owner Rydell Properties has put it back on the market in what is believed to be a sale forced by the bank.

Speaking of buying the site, which is for sale through Savills, council leader Roy Bullock told the Courier: "We have not ruled anything in or out and we are still considering our options." The council and developer John Laing are joint venture partners in the Tunbridge Wells Regeneration Company and it is believed any offer would be through this. Mr Bullock added: "We have not talked to Savills but we have been talking to our partner to establish whether they have an appetite and we have also been obtaining more information about the site and the possible options as far as the mixed use on the site. I understand our partner might have been doing its own investigations." Any buyer would need the necessary finance and development agreement in place and the council could "not do it on its own", he said.

Mr Bullock said he was not aware of any potential buyers. Savills had hoped to secure around £8 million for the site, but that figure has been called optimistic by local business leaders, particularly because of the extra construction costs caused by rail tunnels underneath. Mr Bullock admitted the cost of protective work of the tunnels demanded by Network Rail could be "prohibitive" and would affect the "overall viability of the site". He added: "I think the price would vary depending on the use that might be generated on that site." He said he was concerned about the site falling into the hands of a developer with no thorough knowledge of the plot or the necessary finances.

Asked if the council would have to consult the public over its purchase, he said: "Technically no, because it is not a council asset. "It is the council working on behalf of its community and we hope that if we do decide to make an offer the community would support us in securing the future of the site." The council would be likely to seek new plans and there were various "permutations" said Mr Bullock, which included a supermarket with offices and a hotel or residential flats with offices and shops.

Referring to any possible development of the town hall, Mr Bullock said in "an ideal world" the same "sympathetic" architect would design both the ABC Cinema and town hall sites "but not at the same time". Any buyer should get on and demolish the cinema site buildings, he added.

Savills director Ian Fowler said more than 12 parties had viewed the site and he was expecting offers on August 16. He said the tunnel was "not an insurmountable problem but needs an engineering solution". The £8 million price tag was a "ball park figure", he added. "People will be playing closely to their chest because they want a competitive edge so we are not expecting them to be talking early about numbers," he added.

UPDATE:

27 May 2010 - it is official

CINEMA SITE on Mount Pleasant / Church Road is for sale again!.
A huge sale board was fixed above the main front entrance.

UPDATE:

KOS - Kent on Saturday / Kent on Sunday writes on Saturday 8 May 2010
CINEMA SITE ON MOUNT PLEASANT - Buyer sought to submit plans for long-awaited regeneration

COMMENTS - Added: Saturday 08/05/2010
I am not so sure whether the news that the cinema site is for sale is not just another delaying tactic. Such an announcement gives the owners a next chance to do nothing and the Council another chance to relax, wait and see. This is not progress! I wonder what the official price tag will be; so that we can compare it’s value with the Town Hall complex, which is in the books at a mere £3.2 Mio.
Daniel Bech, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent

UPDATE:

KOS - Kent on Saturday / Kent on Sunday writes on Saturday 8 May 2010
EYESORE AT THE HEART OF TOWN TO GO ON OPEN MARKET - by Jon Coates

Real hope at last as old cinema is put up for sale
Buyer sought to submit plans for long-awaited regeneration

The derelict cinema site in Tunbridge Wells town centre will be put up for sale on the open market this month in a bid to finally rid the town of the eyesore. This will be the first step in finding a developer able to complete the regeneration of the site at the heart of the town after previous plans for shops and a hotel were derailed by the credit crunch.
It means the new owner would be free to submit a planning application outlining their vision for the ABC site that stretches around the corner of Mount Pleasant Road and Church Road. And although the process may take time, it is seen as progress in trying to solve the long-running issue which has provoked such strong views among residents.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has been heavily criticised for allowing the site to remain derelict and become an eyesore. But council chiefs have stressed that they do not own the site, so can only advise potential developers on which schemes would be suitable for the prime piece of real estate.
The local authority’s new director of regeneration and sustainability Jonathan MacDonald, who took up the post eight weeks ago, has been working with current owners Rydell Properties to help facilitate the site’s sale.

Rydell obtained planning permission for a £50 million redevelopment of the cinema site two years. Its proposals included a 137-bed hotel, 122-bay car park and retail and office space, but this was scuppered by the global economic crisis.

Mr MacDonald said: “We are very keen to strengthen the town’s position with regards to threats from other competing centres. We are leaking from our retail catchment in favour of other retail centres. We have to do all we can to draw these people back in order for them to spend their money in the town, which helps our local economy. The wider issue is about making Tunbridge Wells much more attractive for people to shop, work and play in. The cinema and town hall sites are important in connecting both sides of the town. You have Royal Victoria Place at one end and The Pantiles at the other, with the cinema in the centre and it is this site which is a bit of a vacuum. The cinema is the biggest grot spot in the town and the council has been working very hard behind the scenes to try and break through the impasse. This is a site that we do not own and the fact that it has not yet been developed is a demonstration of the failure of the market and points to the difficulty that developers have had over the past few years in gaining access to funding. We have had a meeting with Savills who will be marketing the site on behalf of the owner and funder.”
The site is due to be placed on the open market within the next three weeks.
While saying the council will do all it can to see the cinema site redeveloped as soon as possible, Mr MacDonald warned that a buyer will need to be given time to put their plans together, secure funding and go through the planning process. He said: “I have no doubt that any buyer will want to work with the council as the planning authority to consider a revised scheme. But I can assure your readers that nothing would please me more than to see this important site developed within a sensible time frame.”

Mr MacDonald is a chartered surveyor who joined Crawley Council in 2003 after doing consultancy work for the authority. He came to Tunbridge Wells two months ago after a spell with Bromley Council as its assistant director of renewal.

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 7 May 2010
EYESORE IS FOR SALE YET AGAIN - by Mary Harris

BACK ON THE MARKET: The old cinema site on Mount Pleasant Road

The cinema site in Tunbridge Wells is up for sale. The Courier can exclusively reveal the derelict Ritz buildings will be back on the market in a matter of weeks. Agent Savills has been appointed to manage the sale. It would not comment this week, saying its client was "not available".

The move follows years of inaction on the infamous grot spot which was granted permission for a hotel, flats and shops in November 2008. Its owner, Irish company Rydell Properties, has infuriated locals and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council by failing to begin work at the key town centre location. Speculation has been mounting across the town about the state of Rydell Properties' finances because of banks in Ireland calling in loans.

The borough council said this week it understood "the site is being brought back to the market by the developer and the funder". Borough council director of regeneration and sustainability Jonathan MacDonald, who said the authority had been working "hard behind the scenes" to bring the site back to the market, thought it was "almost certain" any new owner would seek to alter the planning permission. He said the council could not say at this stage whether any plans would contain a cinema but added the council was producing a "position statement" for Savills which outlined its preferences for the site. Asked if Rydell's borrowing had hit trouble, Mr MacDonald would only say: "The fact we have been told that the site is being jointly marketed by the developer and the bank tells us all we need to know. "We have been advised that there will be significant interest (in the site) but we are less clear about the price." He added: "We look forward to working with Savills and any interested parties."

A local commercial property owner said he thought it would be marketed for around £15 million but because of "significant engineering works required by the rail tunnel which runs underneath" and other factors, it was likely to sell for "considerably less". He forecast there would be interest from pension funds.

Town Forum chairman Chris Thomas said the sale came as no surprise and the site on Mount Pleasant and Church Road had seen a "catalogue of disasters". He said it was a "matter for debate" whether a hotel was right for the town centre, but he hoped any new owner would demolish the crumbling site and in the short-term, refurbish the shops on Church Road and Mount Pleasant so they could be used as work behind progressed. Mr Thomas added: "It is a good site but it needs someone with the finances to do it."

At the time of going to press, no-one from Rydell was available for comment.

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 8 January 2010
COUNCIL MAY GO FOR ABC SITE — Compulsory Purchase Order ?

The Council may step in and buy the ABC cinema site if development continues to stall. The derelict town centre buildings are due to be transformed into a shopping centre and hotel. But the project has been beset by delays, with the latest hold-up over footpaths due to be resolved in weeks. But the Courier can reveal Tunbridge Wells Borough Council may take control of the site if progress is delayed.

The council’s top planner, Trevor Gasson, told the Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum that demolition could be carried out as soon as the objection period to the re-routed footpaths had ended. In his response to questions by the forum via email, he added if "progress is not evident on site" during the early part of this year it "may be appropriate for the council to consider whether it should assume greater control". Mr Gasson, interim director of development and planning, said this could be via the Regeneration Company or by a compulsory purchase order.

Asked if the council would intervene, leader Cllr Roy Bullock said it could serve a compulsory purchase order if it had "due cause and was acting in the best interests of the community". He said it could seek interest from "other developer parties" and then buy the site compulsorily on their behalf and at their expense". Or, if the site were to be for sale on the open market, (we could) attempt to purchase it, fully identifying the risks associated with such an action. The method of financing such a purchase, should the opportunity arise and the council agrees to such a course of action, would be decided as part of that process." Asked if he would call a crisis meeting with Rydell, he said: "The council and its partner John Laing are, as I speak, trying to identify the facts about the site and if it is necessary we will arrange a meeting either with the owners or their financial backers." He said the council would continue to "exercise pressure" on Rydell to complete the project, but he would not comment on rumours the site, owned by Cork developer Joe O’Donovan through Rydell Properties, would soon be for sale with a £12 million price tag. Cllr Bullock said the council had been told by Rydell’s agent it was not for sale and demolition would begin once the final consultation on the footpaths ended, which "hopefully is imminent".

Rydell agent David Swann said there was "no truth whatsoever" in the sale rumours. He said they were moving ahead with signing lettings. "There’s no problem at all. We are proceeding in the normal way. We are waiting for footpaths issues to be resolved".

UPDATE:

17 December 2009
CINEMEA SITE & Royal Tunbridge Wells Conservation Area at Risk (English Heritage Register 2009)

The Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum has in their objectives as first issue:
'Royal Tunbridge Wells is becoming clear of ‘Grot Spots’ with priority on the Ritz Building / Cinema Site by 2010'

The Minutes of the RTW Town Forum Meeting 30 July 2009 state: "Cllr Leonard Price (Culverden Ward) to inform Daniel Bech regarding answers to questions relating to the Cinema site (Business Rates - Demolition - Construction) and RTW Conservation Area at Risk (English Heritage Register 2009)."

On 17 December 2009, Trevor Gasson, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Interim Director Development & Planning, gave answers to the questions.
Questions & Answers - Cinema Site and Royal Tunbridge Wells Conservation Area at Risk

> > > The engravings and old postcards - to get a different kind of display and decoration on the hoarding which surrounds the former Cinema Site/Ritz Buildings, appeared on the panels in the week commencing 14 December 2009.

UPDATE:

4 December 2009
Flood plain threat derails Joe O'Donovan's development in Cork, Ireland
— Joe O'Donovan is the owner of the Cinema site, Royal Tunbridge Wells

  Comment in 2004: "Swapping the Town Hall/Civic Centre site with the Cinema/Ritz Building site
"We have always advocated the swapping of the Town Hall business for the Ritz site, as the Town Hall complex has a more suitable ‘promenade’!"

"Flood plain threat derails development in Cork, Ireland"
It could have been the location of a hotel, shops and a swimming pool.
Cork County Council and an inspector from An Bord Pleanala were happy for the development to go ahead in Glamire village, five miles from Cork city. But yesterday it emerged the move has been stopped by the top planning authority - because it is on a flood plain. It is a perfect example of how planning officials disagree on how best to deal with the threat of flooding and comes despite Environment Minister John Gormley's new national guidelines on the management of flood risk. Both the board's inspector, as well as Cork County Council whose own high-rise offices were last week flooded by the River Lee, had approved the commercial aspects of the project which is close to the banks of the River Glashaboy. Even the board's inspector acknowledged in his report that the Office of Public Works' flood hazard mapping service "had recorded a flood event at the western end of the site at Riverstown Bridge as recurring". Nevertheless, inspector Hugh Mannion considered that the developer, Padlake Ltd, had "adequately assessed the flood risk for the site and through building design has mitigated that risk".
Developer Joe O'Donovan, who owns Padlake, envisaged building almost 299,000sq ft (= 27,778 sq m — compare the size of RVP/Royal Victoria Place in Royal Tunbridge Wells: 29,414 sq m) of accommodation in three blocks, and retail, leisure and educational facilities. However, a meeting of Bord Pleanala board members on November 11, which pre-dated the recent peak flooding disasters, decided to refuse permission for the whole project. The reasons included the location of part of the site on a flood plain and the "development of a school at this part of the site would contravene the provisions of the (county) development plan and would be contrary to the draft national guidelines on the management of flood risk which advises the avoidance of such development in areas at risk of flooding".
— Independent Ireland, Donal Buckley, 4 December 2009

UPDATE:

October 2009
Derelict Cinema Site/Ritz Buildings - DEMOLITION DELAYS AGAIN!
- and the hoarding is likely to stand there for a long time

Only an ugly blue hoarding for the RTW Conservation Area - far too short to cover the grot and without the promised historical prints - was erected around the derelict site by Rydell Properties (Lordland Europe and Panter Hudspith Architects). Contrary to requests, the brick pavements (Mount Pleasant Road / Church Road) are not left in full width until the real demolition starts; it is not pedestrian-friendly!

UPDATE:

5 August 2009
DESIGN OF HOARDING around derelict Cinema Site/Ritz Buildings

Daniel Bech had proposed in February 2006 (application for separate demoltion) and it had been mentioned again in September 2008, during the exhibition of the development of the New Ritz Building, to the architects (Panter Hudspith) and development agent (Landlord Europe, David Swann), that Daniel Bech and Katharina Mahler-Bech have a large digital archive of "Old Tunbridge Wells" (maps, engravings, etchings, postcards) from local collectors; the huge compilation was produced for "Historical and Interesting Views of Tunbridge Wells", a scheme to help the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra with funding .
Daniel Bech suggested that many images, especially the engravings and restored maps, are suitable for Hoarding Prints around the derelict Cinema Site/Ritz Buildings.

On 5 August 2009, at a meeting with Hugh Strange (Panter Hudspith architects), Daniel Bech, Katharina Mahler, Cllr Leonard Price (Culverden Ward - the location of the site) and members of the RTW Town Forum, it was decided to choose site specific pictures and images of the cinema's surroundings.

"Historical and Interesting Views of Tunbridge Wells"

UPDATE:

28 July 2009
THREE FIRE BLAZES at the derelict Cinema Site

Police are appealing for information about the incidents on three successive nights, Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July and Monday 27 July 2009. Anyone with information is asked to call 01732 379317.
Chief Inspector for Tunbridge Wells District, Martin Wilson, had raised his concerns with the Cinema site's agent Landlord Europe (David Swann) representing the developer Rydell Properties. He confirmed, in order to increase safety, hoardings will be erected around the buildings.

UPDATE:

22 July 2009
FULL COUNCIL MEETING (Chairman, the Mayor Cllr Len Price) — Question/Answer regarding Cinema site

QUESTION: Councillor Brian Ransley (Ward: Capel)
To: Councillor Mrs Elisabeth Thomas, Portfolio-holder for Planning and Economic Development
"Could the portfolio-holder for Planning and Economic Development please inform members as to whether the developers of the cinema site have achieved a completed, signed contract for both hotel operator and office management functions?
— If yes, which companies are now contracted?
— If no, what is the anticipated date for contract completion?"

REPLY: Councillor Mrs Thomas:
"I should like to thank Cllr Ransley for his question and continued interest in the cinema site. At present I understand that the developers continue to negotiate with the prospective occupiers with a view to formal agreement soon. Cllr Ransley will no doubt appreciate that these discussions are commercially confidential between the developers and the prospective occupiers.
However, I can inform him that substantial progress is being made in satisfying the conditions on the planning permission and that the Council is doing what it can to enable the development to go ahead."

UPDATE:

17 July 2009
CLAIMED FOOTPATH on Cinema Site — Will this Order delay further the demolition of the grot spot?

Laura Wilkins, Senior Public Rights of Way Officer, Kent County Council has just completed the investigation into the application and as a result has sought and obtained delegated authority to make an Order to add the two routes at footpath status on the basis that the rights are reasonably alleged to subsist. The routes have been in use for well in excess of 20 years with the earliest use dating back to just after the cinema was built in the mid 1930's.

UPDATE:

16 July 2009
CINEMEA SITE & Royal Tunbridge Wells Conservation Area at Risk (English Heritage Register 2009)

The Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum has in their objectives as first issue:
Royal Tunbridge Wells is becoming clear of ‘Grot Spots’ with priority on the Ritz Building / Cinema Site by 2010

Questions to Cllr Leonard Price, Councillor of Culverden Ward, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Mayor of the Borough of Tunbridge Wells (Chairman of Full Council Meetings)
Questions: Cinema Site & RTW CA at risk

UPDATE:

12 November 2008
ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS' TOP GROT SPOT — Cinema site and neighbouring shops

The former ABC Cinema, Nos.10-15 Ritz Building Church Road, Shops in Nos.51-67 Mount Pleasant Road, Hill House and Clanricarde Medical Centre, Clanricarde Road, will finally be demolished and redeveloped after Councillors of the TWBC Western Area Planning Committee approved plans and drawings by applicant Rydell Properties TODAY.

In September 2008 Panter Hudspith Architects, the winner of the design competition for the "Cinema GROT SPOT", submitted their planning application for a New Hotel/Office and Retail Development.

UPDATE:

1 October 2008
CINEMEA SITE - "BUILDING ON THE RITZ"

Panter Hudspith Architects' presentation materials for the former Cinema Site / Ritz Building (Mount Pleasant Road / Church Road) in the town centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells: New Hotel/Office and Retail Development (Views, Model)

Send your comments regarding the redevelopment (the former cinema site, Nos.10-15 Ritz Building, Church Road; Nos.51-67 Mount Pleasant Road; and Hill House and Clanricarde Medical Centre, Clanricarde Road) to planningcomments@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
TWBC Planning Application Search (ref: 08/03119 Demolition and 08/03126)

UPDATE: — The ABC Cinema Site / Ritz Building — deteriorating for 8 years . . . . . .

The Courier's Editor writes on Friday 13 June 2008
ABC SITE HOPES

There's reassuring news this week on the former ABC cinema front. The owners tells us they're on course and on schedule and will be submitting a formal planning application to the Town Hall at the end of August 2008.
The new shopping centre for Tunbridge Wells with courtyards and columns could be welcoming its first customers in 2011. And what a relief that will be - the thorn in the side of Tunbridge Wells will finally be yanked out.
How many people must ask, when they walk past the former Ritz buildings or pull up alongside in their car, "When will something be done about that site?".
Well, we have been reliably informed the answer is at the end of August - and that's not a month too soon.

UPDATE:

The Courier's Letters: 7 March 2008
CINEMA PLANS ARE UNVEILED

“ What’s another year? The cinema site has been standing for eight years as a cancerous cell opposite the Town Hall. It affects a square mile area in which it is believed that about 90 per cent of all activities of the borough happen.
We learned rumours of the owners paying a high amount in business rates yearly despite its closure were just myths. We know the building has a planning consent to demolish the grot spot without the need to immediately construct yet it stands proudly there to prove that development speculation has an ugly face.
With the well presented sketches by Panter Hudspith Architects I am more than happy to congratulate the council for the initiative to engage RIBA and some of their top architectural designers to come up with ideas.
There is now a silver line at the horizon. Please don’t let anyone get in the way by quibbling over a possible ice rink, public or non public spaces, a stone too high, a brick too low.
The concept is good. Congratulations to the winner and to those who had the vision. Let’s see the result fast. ”
— db/2008

UPDATE:

27 February 2008
'GROT SPOT ELIMINATION' COMPETITION WINNER

Panter Hudspith Architects are the winner of the competition to provide concept designs for the former Cinema Site and Ritz Building.
Plans/photos/links/previously approved scheme: The Competition and Supporting Information

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 22 February 2008
GROT SPOT PLANS ARE READY TO BE UNVEILED

The Worst grot spot in Tunbridge Wells is tantalisingly closer to transformation by a leading architect.
The vision for the ABC cinema site will be unveiled on Wednesday (27 February 2008).

Behind closed doors the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) and site owner Rydell scrutinised designs of six architects handpicked for the competition to design the development.

Next Wednesday the winning design will be unveiled to organisations including the Town Forum.

A public consultation is expected once detailed designs are drawn up.

Progress on the site will be welcomed by residents, who since the cinema closed in 2000 have complained vociferously about its deterioration.

UPDATE:

Focus writes on Tuesday/Wednesday 5/6 February 2008
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO THE OLD ABC CINEMA IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS - by Debbie Attwood
(Focus Editor: Gabriel Shepard)

SPECIAL REPORT:
It's been set alight, probed by police ina murder investigationand holds pole position in Tunbridge Wells' list of grot spots.
Courier sub-editor Debbie Attwood gives her opinions an what should be done with the former ABC cinema and asks others what they would like to see at the town centre site.

" The site of the former ABC cinema has now been empty since December 2000. Talk has been rife ever since the cinema closed, with people asking what will become of it. More than seven years have passed and what was once a place that attracted and entertained residents and tourists has most recently been described as "as an ugly ruin disgracing Tunbridge Wells."

The majority of young people I've spoken to in Tunbridge Wells seem to all be in agreement about what should happen to the old cinema. They want a nightclub, or at least a decent bar.

Since the closing of bars such as The Litten Tree, A Bar Too Far, Bar Zia and Que Pasa, Tunbridge Wells is somewhat lacking in variety for a night out and the town is becoming increasingly overrun with places to eat out: three of the above having now become restaurants.

The ABC site's owenership has been passed about over the years - originally planning permission had been granted for a nightclub within a development consisting of 5,000m sq of shops, 800m sq of bars and restaurants and 48 flats.

But most recently its owner - Cork based developer Rydell Properties - commissioned five leading architects to come up with a design, from which a winner will be chosen by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Rydell has said it envisages the site becoming a "£60 million - £75 million" centre likely to feature a hotel, shops, restaurants and offices.

As a Tunbridge Wells resident I increasingly find myself having to travel outside of the area to places such as Maidstone, London and Brigthon to find a top nightclub. Of course we must not forget good old Da Vinci's/Beluga and El Monno, but to be honest their size, when comparing it to the vast amount of people, and their prices (which are not too far off top London nightclub prices), are just not quite good enough! "

UPDATE:

facebook.com - PLFTW(IT) Group - 23 January 2008
THE RITZ CINEMA - photos taken nearly 2 years ago

The Ritz Cinema - Interior - UK Urban Exploration Forums 07.03.2006

UPDATE:

facebook.com - PLFTW(IT) Group - 12 January 2008
THE ARCHITECTS' COMPETITION
Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre and the Cinema Site Redevelopment (Ritz Building's shops and cinema)

The Competition and Supporting Information (plans/photos/links/previously approved scheme)
6 Architects: Hazle Mc Cormack Young (RTW), CTM (Hythe) and Avanti, FAT, Panter Hudspith, Stanton Williams (London)

The Civic Society made its first appearance on TWBC' Online Forum "Ask the Leader". They claim that they proposed an Architects’ Competition in 2002. However at the same time their pro-developer position leading to the Telephone House Debacle must have left them with little time to become active enough to shape the form of the Cinema site. Not only have they quibbled too much over “little windows” on that dreadful development of the former BT exchange at the cost of hundreds of ‘walk to your work’ office jobs and neighbours amenities, but they quibbled over some unimportant bits of TWBC officer’s design ideas. (Many do though think that neither TWBC, nor Civic Society had ever the right, in view of their incompetence, to dictate a design of these two crucial town centre sites)

Would the right time to do an architects’ competition not have been in 2001, when the planning brief was issued? The former president of the Civic Society, an architect, says he wished he had the same confidence in his trade as I have. I think it does not matter whose idea it was at the beginning; laudable is that the Council supports it with all flags. It might be that residents do not like any of the schemes or the owners do not want what is dished.

What is important now is that the site is flattened, so that RTW sees progress. Some, including, even the former president of the Civic Society, would be prepared to have a quick fix of the shop fronts and reintroduce retail outlets, nonetheless, if temporary. The cinema itself seems not to be linked structurally to the shop fronts, and the railway does not run directly below the main part of the cinema. So if this saga takes any longer, why not just take off the Cinema Hall bulk only and wait, ‘til we have one day, after the slump in the commercial property market, a fine developer who is proud to build opposite the Town Hall something we can all be pleased about.

PS. I still hope that the desired outcome of the exercise is a development which fits into the image of Royal (and I mean Royal) Tunbridge Wells. - db/2008

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 14 December 2007
£60M-£75M OUTLAY COULD SAY GOODBYE TO GROT SPOT - by Mary Harris

A multi-million pounds "landmark" development could replace Tunbridge Wells' most infamous grot spot by 2010. The run-down former ABC cinema site in the heart of Tunbridge Wells will be transformed into a "£60million-£75million" centre likely to feature a hotel with around 100 rooms, shops, restaurants and offices. Talks are already under way with up to two anchor stores and three hotel chains

This week the developer said work could begin on the site at the end of next year or even earlier to avoid wintry weather, with building taking approximately two years culminating in a "grand opening". It is hoped the large prestigious development with interesting frontages on Mount Pleasant and Church Road will pull together the northern and southern ends of the town - drawing people up from the Pantiles and enticing shoppers down Mount Pleasant.

An architect will be handpicked by the Royal Institute of British Architects, which this week in partnership with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and the developer Cork-based Rydell Properties, unveiled a high profile design competition.
RIBA has invited five architectural practices to compete with their "concept designs" and the winner will be announced in early February. The practice will then work up detailed drawings for discussions ahead of a planning application, which is expected to be submitted to the Town Hall in the middle of next year, with demolition hoped to start by this time next year.

The council described the site yesterday (Thursday 13.12.2007) as "crucial to the town" and the development had to be "110 per cent right".

David Swann, of Lordland Europe, for the developer, told the Kent and Sussex Courier: "My role is to make this happen - there is so much interest in this site that we decided to collaborate with the council and go on the competitive route. The RIBA have chosen architects who will be very mindful of Tunbridge Wells itself, its style and design and its history and so on. We want to see a landmark building for Tunbridge Wells and the offices and shops will create more jobs. We are looking for a commercially successful development as well as a handsome piece of architecture."

Although planning permission was eventually won by GLN Properties through the Secretary of State in 2004, the company sold on the site which is flanked by Mount Pleasant Road and Church Road.

New owners Rydell Properties have since extended the site and bought Pizza Hut, Gamleys and the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Clanricarde House. The site is approximately 0.54hectares and the borough council's design brief looks for a minimum of 7,000m2 of retail space. But the developer revealed it was still "active in the possible acquisition of a greater area" to the rear.

Director of RIBA South East Helen Wren said the architects from the South East were chosen for their wide variety of experiences and styles and the concept designs would be "broad brush" not detailed designs.

Council leader Cllr Roy Bullock said the council was "very excited about this development " and said he hoped "the people of Tunbridge Wells will be too".

There will be no public consultation on the competition designs because they will be conceptual only but there will be opportunity for public comment as part of the normal planning process.

The Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum wrote to Cllr Bullock this week, saying it supported any initiative to remove the "grot spot" but it hoped existing permission to demolish the site was acted upon "as soon as practicable". It also said architects should listen "and want to listen" to those living nearby.

In 2004 the Secretary of State decided a cinema did not have to be provided on the site despite the council's wishes. The authority this week said it now felt the development "could offer so much more".

Reader comments

A 'flagship' development as proposed would bring a lot of economic benefits to the town, but will certainly generate a large amount of extra traffic. The town is already gridlocked during peak periods. The developers and council must ensure that this work is accompanied by some proper traffic management.
Hugh Bankier, Tunbridge Wells

Since Rydell Properties have extended the site, it would seem to be a golden opportunity to build a cinema on the extension since it will not be affected by the restrictive covenant imposed when the cinema was sold or the decision of the Secretary of State in 2004.
Colin Simpson, Calverley Park, Tunbridge Wells

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 7 December 2007
COMPETITION TO TRANSFORM TOWN CENTRE GROT SPOT - by Jane Bakowski

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. Set up by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in partnership with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, the Cinema Design Competition will invite six architectural practices to submit ideas for the controversial site.

Mystery surrounds the identity of the Irish businessman who bought the prime site earlier this year, and he has given no indications of his plans for the area, which has planning permission for a mixed use development. However the borough council confirmed that one of his representatives will be involved in the competition.

Daniel Bech of Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum, who has campaigned for many months for town centre improvements, said he welcomed the idea of a competition to bring in fresh ideas. "It is brilliant. Our feeling in any case is that the cinema should be demolished because it is an eyesore and a health hazard, and if nothing better can be designed, then it should become an open green space. But if architects can come up with a really innovative way of using the space, so much the better." He added: "This is a key site, right opposite the town hall, and it is so important that we get it right."

RIBA South East director Helen Wren was not prepared to discuss any further details of the competition yesterday (Thursday 6 December 2007), but said all would be revealed next week. She added: "We are very happy to be involved in such an exciting project for the town."

The borough council has stressed that it wants to work closely with the reclusive new owner. Many of the shops surrounding the cinema, which was badly damaged by a fire two years ago, have closed down and remain derelict.

UPDATE:

5 December 2007

Press Conference, Town Hall, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Wednesday 12 December 2007 — Cinema Design Competition
Media representatives are invited to a press conference at the Town Hall to be briefed on a new project coordinated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in partnership with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. The project will enlist six architectural practices to produce concept designs for a new scheme for the former cinema site in the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Present at the briefing will be: Robert Cottrill, Director of Planning and Development for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Cllr Roy Bullock, Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Helen Wren, Regional Director, RIBA South East and David Swann, representing the owner of the former cinema site.

Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum Meeting Thursday 25 October 2007 — The Cinema Site was discussed and the Town Forum considered it a disgrace and a shame for the town that the site had been left to decay. The Town Forum resolved to write to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Roy Bullock, and the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Development, Councillor Mrs Thomas expressing their very strong view that at the least the existing site should be demolished. This would be better visually and would encourage local residents that things were moving forward. It was suggested that if the site was demolished it could become an open space until a final decision of its use was agreed.

Info on Demolition:
Conservation Area Consent to demolish the buildings (former cinema and shops) on the site was granted on 23 March 2006 (demolition was 'de-linked' from construction).

UPDATE:

1 year later, February 2007

UPDATE:

23 March 2006 - Tunbridge Wells Borough Council grants consent - application TW/06/00369
to demolish a building in Conservation Area

Conservation Area Consent: Variation of terms of condition 2 of Conservation Area Consent TW/01/02443 to permit demolition of buildings to proceed without compliance with requirement at paragraph (b) thereof.
Location: Cinema Development Site, Mount Pleasant Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 10 February 2006
WORK TO START ON CINEMA SITE

Redevelopment of the former ABC cinema site in the heart of Tunbridge Wells is expected to start in April 2006.
Professionals have been instructed to start work on the key town centre site.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has been in discussions with Ferlyn Properties which bought the site from town-based GLN last July (2005).

It is understood Ferlyn Properties believed to be based in Ireland is to proceed with the plans which finally received permission following a planning inquiry in October 2004.
The development includes a night club, more than 5,000m sq of shops, and 800m sq of bars and restaurants, plus 48 flats.

The project is currently at the tender stage, with demolition planned to start in April.
Construction is expected to follow in July and the shops intended to be open before December 2007.

Broadlands Chartered Surveyors in Tunbridge Wells Paul Carter said: "Ferlyn Properties is proud to be associated with this prestigious development that, with the comprehensive redevelopment of the site, will enhance the character of the Conservation Area, reinforce the retail presence in this important location, add to the viability and vitality of the town centre and provide residential accommodation."
Portfolio holder for planning Councillor Elizabeth Thomas: "We are delighted that the proposed redevelopment is now getting underway."

UPDATE:

Is this Royal Tunbridge Wells in November 2005?
Top Eyesores / GROT SPOTS in Royal Tunbridge Wells

Powerpoint Presentation for the Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum Meeting 29 November 2005

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 29 July 2005 - Front Page:
MYSTERY OVER ABC SITE OWNER

Mystery surrounds the new owner of the ABC cinema site in Tunbridge Wells.

The prime plot straddling Mount Pleasant and Church Road was sold by local firm GLN (Copenhagen) and completed last week. The new owner is believed to be a private individual from Ireland working mostly in Cork.
It is understood the same developer bought a shopping centre in Cork for 126million euros last year in what the Irish Examiner described as the biggest commercial deal of the year.
Wilton Shopping Centre is a 16-acre site with leading names and a 60,000sq ft Tesco.

Although the cinema, shops and car park land in Tunbridge Wells is much smaller, speculation is mounting about the Irish developer's intentions for the prime site in the heart of the town centre.

Last week, former owner Garry Gatt said he believed the new owners would "stick pretty much" to existing plans. He predicted construction would start in spring next year "at the earliest".

Despite the Kent and Sussex Courier's exhaustive attempts, it was unable to track down the new owner, described as an Irishman and a "private individual who keeps himself to himself".
One source said he also owned bars and off licences in Cork and would be "unlikely" to grant an interview.
According to the Irish Examiner a confidentiality clause introduced after the purchase of the Cork shopping centre protected the identity of the new owner.

Yesterday on Mount Pleasant some shopkeepers were unaware of the sale. They also did not know when their new landlord would ask them to leave to make way for building. Three shops had closed recently and others were keeping an eye on other available units, they said.
Newsagent Glenn Osborn said he thought traders could be asked to leave by the end of the year. "We've had no contact. The only thing is certain is that we will be closing down eventually," he said.
Tim Hill, the owner of card shop Quirky Turkey which will close at the end of this month, said: "I've had no communication. I didn't know [the sale] had happened."

A planning inquiry in October 2004, was won by GLN for a mixed use site including shops, 48 apartments and an underground nightclub. The council had fought for a multiplex cinema on the site.

Asked whether the council would be pursuing a cinema option with the new company, leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Melvyn Howell said yesterday (Thursday): "We have to work with the inspector's decision despite the fact an important part of that decision was against a cinema. It was a painful process and we should move forward positively."
Referring to the years of wrangles between the council and GLN and Mr Gatt's own admission both parties became stubborn, Cllr Howell said: "All at the town hall, the developers and the public had to learn some lessons from this saga.
"It would be in no-one's interest to try to perpetuate a stand-off that led ultimately to the appeal decision and from my point of view, I look forward very positively to working with the owners of the prime site."

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 22 July 2005:
FORMER CINEMA SITE SOLD TO NEW PLAYER - by Mary Harris

The Former ABC cinema site in Tunbridge Wells has been sold to a "major player" in the development industry.

The building on Mount Pleasant was the subject of the town's most controversial planning wrangles in recent years.

Completion on the sale was made on Tuesday, 19 July 2005, confirmed former owner GLN which battled with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for permission for its plans which include shops, apartments and a nightclub.

The plans were eventually passed in December 2004 after a planning inquiry, which GLN's development director Garry Gatt said left the firm with £500,000 costs.

Interest in buying the site had been shown by many companies during the planning process.

The redundant cinema site, which straddles Mount Pleasant and Church Road, was never put up for sale, said Mr Gatt who spoke exclusively to the Kent and Sussex Courier yesterday (Thursday, 21 July 2005).
He said: "We were still contemplating developing it ourselves. It was always our intention but purely because of the delays, we thought should we cash in or stay a bit longer. They came up with a very good offer which was acceptable to ourselves."
He said he felt "sad" because he would not play a part in the development.

Mr Gatt would not reveal who the new owners were but he believed they would "stick pretty much" to the plans.
"I think they would like to sit down with the planners and talk about any possible improvements. Maybe one good thing that has come out of this is handing the reins over to another party. Perhaps the barriers between us and the planners will not be there with new owners," he said.

When asked if he thought the issue of building a cinema on the site would resurface, he said: "I would beg everyone not to raise it again. We have sat down with the purchaser and they know the history of the site and it will further delay the development. Let's get the new development on site and regenerate the town centre, not fall further and further behind. Tunbridge Wells has to play catch up in terms of regeneration."

UPDATE:
January 2005 - http://www.dundas-wilson.com/news/credentials_detail.php?credential_id=28
information by: Dundas & Wilson UK Corporate & Commercial Law Firm

Ritz Cinema, Tunbridge Wells receives £ 4.45m finance from Bank of Scotland

Client : Bank of Scotland

Credential Summary :
Refinancing by specialist purchasing vehicle, GLN Copenhagen Southern Ltd. of Ritz Cinema, Tunbridge Wells, by Bank of Scotland.

Completion date : May 2003

Value : £ 4.45 million
[ GLN, office in St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, paid £2.5 million ]

Lead Contact : Carolyn Agnew
Team member(s) : Stephen Farmer

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 24 December 2004:
CINEMA WILL NOT BE BUILT ON ABC SITE - by Mary Harris

A Cinema will not be built on the former Ritz buildings in the heart of Tunbridge Wells after a planning inspector backed developer GLN's appeal.

Bosses at GLN are "delighted" with the hard-fought result, but described planners at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council as "obstructive and unhelpful".

The father and son team, Michael and Garry Gatt, said although they had commented little publicly on the wrangles, they were tired of being seen as the "bad developer" which would not provide a cinema.
"We are Tunbridge Wells developers. We live and breathe in Tunbridge Wells the same as everyone else. Our site is a major landmark built in the centre of town," said development director Garry.
They said since buying the site in 2001 council planners had given little guidance and failed to look into the implications of a covenant on the land, despite their warnings.
Because of "going backwards and forwards" with the planners, it was not until March 2003 the application finally went before the western area planning committee, where it was duly refused as it lacked a movie theatre.

The £20 million plans were for a nightclub, shops and apartments on the plot which straddles Mount Pleasant and Church Road.

The Gatts criticised the council for its planning brief which included a cinema and then its public consultation, which they believed misled the public into thinking a cinema was a feasible option.
"They did not check at the Land Registry. I told them about the covenant in February 2001 and that the planning brief breached the covenant. We told them again in April and they ignored us. The public consultation was in April. We all want things but if someone told you the facts, you could make a better informed decision," said Garry.

Consistent denial by GLN since 2001 that a cinema was financially viable was backed by government inspector Laura Graham who revealed her findings on Friday.
She said after the lengthy inquiry which began in February 2004: "In the circumstances I regard it as far from certain that an environmentally acceptable and financially viable scheme, which included a cinema, could be developed on this site."

Because of the covenant on the existing ABC cinema plot, it would have been necessary to build a multiplex on the car park behind. Due to the stadium design of movie theatres, the Gatts said the building would have looked "horrendous" from some angles.

Crucially, the inspector also defended GLN and its solicitor Jason Towell, who was accused by Cllr Roy Bullock in a council meeting in September 2004 of "implied threats" when he said his client would revert to fallback plans if it lost the appeal.

These plans included conversion of the cinema as a nightclub and an office development behind Pizza Hut which already had permission.
She said: "I do not accept the fallback position should be dismissed as a threat by the appellant to gain planning permission."
She concluded GLN's development would enhance the "vitality and viability" and said that while the building may not be to everyone's taste, it would "enhance the character and appearance of this important site" and the conservation area.

Managing director Michael said although there were "lots of champagne corks popping" on Friday when they received the inspector's result, they were angry at the escalating costs caused by the delay.
The appeal cost alone - without the losses of owning a redundant site for years - were in excess of £500,000, he said.
"It was an unjustified expense forced on us by the borough council. We estimate the council's cost for the appeal must be in excess of £250,000.
"One would question whether this is taxpayers' money well spent - given the inspector's decision, I think not," said Garry, who added work on site will begin next summer with completion scheduled for 2007.
Asked what he viewed as the council's main failing in relation to the site, Garry said: "There seems to be no accountability at the borough council. The council has lost another major planning appeal and I would love to see how many they have lost, to the cost of taxpayers."

The inspector rejected GLN's application for costs but the Gatts will "review their position" in the new year.

Council head of planning services David Prentis said: "Our costs for this unusually lengthy and complex inquiry were around £220,000, which included our team of six professional witnesses and our QC."

Portfolio holder for planning and transportation Cllr Roy Bullock said: "The planning brief reflected the wishes of the community and hence the decision must be a disappointment to our residents.
"As part of the new Local Development Framework we will once again test public opinion and site availability for a town centre cinema."

Between April and 30 November 2004 (8 months), the council received 50 appeal decisions. Out of these 32 were dismissed and 18 allowed. The council lost 18 appeals (36 per cent of the 50 appeals).

UPDATE:

There will be a SPECIAL WESTERN AREA PLANNING COMMITTEE meeting at the Town Hall's Council Chambers on Thursday, 16 September 2004, 2 pm.

The reports are at:
http://212.24.85.91/committee/westplan/agendas/04-05/16Sep04special/040916WAP006.pdf
and
http://212.24.85.91/committee/westplan/agendas/04-05/16Sep04special/040916WAP007.pdf

Joint Report of Head of Strategy and Development (Tony Fullwood) and Head of Planning Services (David Prentis):
Summary:
The Borough Council is involved in a Public Inquiry into the future of the site of the former Ritz / ABC Cinema and adjoining land in the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells. In presenting evidence to the Inquiry, the Council has engaged consultant architects to prepare plans of a mixed retail and residential development scheme which incorporate a new cinema, in accordance with the Council’s approved Planning Brief for the site, and the Council’s Local Plan Review policy. The Inquiry began in February 2004, sat for one week, and is now reconvening in October.
This report updates Members [TWBC Councillors] on progress with matters being considered at the Inquiry, including issues relating to a restrictive covenant affecting the site, potential operator interest and development viability. It confirms that the Council’s plans, submitted in evidence to the Inquiry, are in accord with the Local Plan policy, in relation to this site and the principles contained in the Planning Brief. It also confirms the potential commercial viability of the schemes, and the existence of at least one prospective cinema operator.
In order to improve the commercial viability of the scheme, including a cinema, the report recommends that the proportion of affordable housing units that would normally be required be reduced.

COMMENT:
Telephone House Neighbours Association's plea to consider relaxing the affordable housing as per para 6.38 of the Local Plan Review was simply ignored. - Strangely the same paragraph 6.38 is now used to justify the reduction of the affordable housing units at the Cinema site, only 100 metres from the extremely high density development of Telephone House site, Church Road.

UPDATE:

The Editor of the "Community Bulletin" writes on 3 September 2004:
( for free CB copies - email: townhouse64@hotmail.com )
Tunbridge Wells Town Centre - The Future

The Council should ask what is it that we all fear. They will say, with complacency, that Tunbridge Wells has been voted the best town in Kent (by the Invicta FM phone-in) so why change anything now? We say - it is precisely because it is the best town in Kent that extra efforts have to be put into both modernising it and preserving it in an integrated and planned way.

Part of my family come from one of the East Kent seaside towns which flourished in the inter-war and immediate post-war years. My grandfather was a leading Councillor but a working man with no idea of how cheap flights and the opening up of the Mediterranean (and the closure of the local coal mines) would decimate the economic base of the town.
He was complacent but he had an excuse - there was no-one local who could be expected to see what was coming. But there is no excuse for the current generation of Councillors - we have mass media, globalisation, the internet and massive changes coming with the end of coach tour tourism, outsourced white collar jobs and (like it or not) mass migration.

The people who really love this town are those who have a deep commitment to its future rather than just to its past whether as the Simla of Kent for imperial civil servants or as first point of call for the American tourists who may never come back.

The town's future lies in it becoming a modern Wealden hub that is built to last, rejecting both the brutalism of 1960s municipal architecture and 1990s corporate blandness.

GLN may or may not have the necessary vision but we persist in believing that there is a deal to be had with the private sector over the intelligent transformation of the whole zone from Monson Road, through the Town Hall section, to the ABC site. A deal which would be centred on creating a decent environment from the very start of its planning.

Such a plan would play to the strengths of the town's history - its woodland and downland natural heritage and the legacy of Decimus Burton - and would incorporate High Street and Pantiles as the natural flowing extension of what we would come to be the best and most integrated township in England. Some serious planning is in order.

What is the point of more residential flats if the net result is a collapsing environmental infrastructure? The environmental infrastructure must be planned in with the residential base.

What is the point of a new retail sector if it merely sucks the High Street and Pantiles dry and turns the Victoria Mall into a "pile em high, sell 'em cheap" secondary retail market that then becomes a magnet for layabouts and low-lifes. Nothing is gained but some profits for GLN and a shuffling around of problems for the Council and for residents.

We are very worried about the quality of thinking amongst our Officers, very, very worried indeed. We are also concerned that village-based Councillors cannot have this vision because they merely visit the place on business.

But we are most worried about the Pantiles politicians - and why? Because they seem to be running on fear - fear of any change that may threaten their ancient mall. And yet - their fear of change is quietly dooming the Pantiles to increasing irrelevance. If the town has no reason to attract visitors other than the Pantiles, then visitors will not come.

It is the Pantiles Councillors who should be leading the battle for a massive creative effort to transform the whole zone from the top of Mount Ephraim right down to their territory and from the edge of the Common to Camden Road. Why?
Because an integrated approach to planning our town centre which encourages a strong residential base, a decent environment, a spread of service and retail businesses and a decent transit system within the centre will bring visitors to the town who will explore it. If they explore it, they will visit and spend time in the Pantiles as well.

So, forgive my passionate call for town transformation. I saw the decline of those East Kent seaside towns based on piecemeal and shoddy architectural tinkerings and on "amenities" that were nothing more than expensive white elephants. But above all, their decline was based on ignorance and complacency. It could happen here. It is starting to happen here ...

[The Editor of the Community Bulletin wishes to make clear that he understands that the Kent and Sussex seaside towns are now well on the way to recovery after their long period of decline and his editorial is only intended to draw attention to what can happen to towns if they are not managed with vision by their political leaders.]

UPDATE:

The Courier writes on Friday 20 February 2004:
Eight months to wait for the cinema battle to be resumed

Mary Harris, The Courier, reports on the wrangle between the town's planners and developers over the former ABC cinema site.
It will be many months before the fate of the ABC cinema site in Tunbridge Wells is decided - the inquiry has been adjourned until October 2004.
A further delay in a long-awaited decision on development of the Mount Pleasant site has been met with disbelief by residents who are exasperated by the tatty building which has been standing empty for more than 3 years.

UPDATE:

The Kent Messenger Extra writes on Friday 17 October 2003:
Cinema plan appeal

An Appeal has been made against the borough council's refusal of planning permission for a comprehensive redevelopment of the old ABC cinema site in Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells.
GLN (Copenhagen)Southern wants to transform the site with shops, food and drink outlets, homes, leisure facilities and parking.
But the council refused consent because the scheme does not include provision for a new cinema and so fails to meet its brief for enhancing the vitality and viability of the town. A public inquiry into GLN's appeal is now to be held.

UPDATE:

The Courier - This is Kent and Sussex - writes on Friday 18 April 2003:
PLANNERS ARE TRYING 'TO SHIFT THE BLAME'

Planners in Tunbridge Wells are trying to shift the blame for failing to get a new cinema on the former town centre ABC site, according to the building's owners. GLN Development Group said it is "physically and legally impossible" to resurrect a cinema on the prime spot and accused Tunbridge Wells Borough Councillors of intentionally letting the saga go to appeal so the inspector and GLN take the brunt of the town's anger.

The St John's Road-based development firm wants to convert the vacant building - which has been closed since 1999 - into shops, restaurants, 48 flats and an underground nightclub.

Development director Garry Gatt said the council had misled townsfolk by pledging to restore a cinema to the Mount Pleasant Road site without telling them Odeon Cinemas had placed a covenant on the land, which restricts a cinema being built there.
Mr Gatt said: "We are telling everyone that, through no fault of ours, there will never be a cinema on that site because it is financially unviable, physically impossible and legally impossible.
"At every opportunity we have given them [councillors] the chance to change the planning brief and the Local Plan but they want the inspector to decide the issue - they are too scared to make the decision themselves because it is too important a site for them to put their necks on the line.
"They know if we go to appeal we will win, but that will not be a deterrent for them - they will blame the inspector and walk away with their heads held high."

Last week GLN - which claims to have spent £500,000 on the project so far - saw its £ 20 million plans unanimously turned down by the planning board.
It is now debating whether to appeal the decision or use its "fallback" option of leasing the building to a nightclub operator and building a 10,000 sq ft office block at the rear - plans which the council approved in 1987.
Mr Gatt said: "This is an opportunity for us to tell the people that we tried our best to get this scheme approved but the failures of the planning department has jeopardised the investment of £ 20 million into Tunbridge Wells.
"Over the next two weeks we are going to decide our route forward. We are advised by our counsel that we will win an appeal and have a good case for costs in the region of £ 150,000, which comes out of Tunbridge Wells taxpayers' pockets.
"That could take in excess of nine months so we are seriously considering our fallback position."

Tunbridge Wells MP Archie Norman said: "It is now clear the understandable desire to include a cinema may be impractical. We need a clear lead from the council so that the developers can create a building of which we can all be proud."

Planning portfolio holder Cllr Roy Bullock said: "The council does not deliberately absolve itself of its responsibility by relying on inspectors - it still believes there is a possibility of securing a cinema on that site."

Council head of planning and building control services Nigel Eveleigh said: "GLN is entitled to appeal against the planning decision and we are confident we can present a robust planning case to support the refusal.
"Covenants can be dealt with legally - the developers could buy out the covenant or acquire additional property which is not affected by the covenant but still part of the allocated site.
"The overwhelming public response was in support of a cinema on this site and the council believes a cinema is feasible and best located on this site."

UPDATE:

The Kent Messenger Extra writes on Friday 4 April 2003:
Cinema site scheme turned down again (Nigel Jarrett)

The latest bid to breathe new life into the former ABC cinema site in the centre of Tunbridge Wells has again failed to impress borough councillors.
A bid to develop the site for shops, homes, cafes, leisure facitlites and car parking has been turned down by the council's western area planning committee.
But because of the site's strategic importance, a final deicsion on the current proposal rests with the council's planning board, meeting on Wednesday, April 9, 2003.

Members of the area committee felt the application, subject to three sets of amended plans during the course of its consideration, was still not up to par.
It failed to provide the mixed use set out in the council's planning brief, which specifically seeks provision of a cinema within the scheme.

David Prentis, the council's development control manager said: " It therefore failed to meet the brief's objective which is to enhance the vitality and viability ot the town centre. Permitting it in the absence of the provision of a cinema would be premature at this stage of the Local Plan process."

The committee heard the proposals would also need a legal agreement to cover transport contributions, affordable housing, education and open space provisions.
The application was made by GLN (Copenhagen) South and proposed a single building, varying in height from two to six storeys.
Lower floors would be given over to commercial use and the upper ones to residential use with some 48 homes, a dozen of them earmarked as affordable, in total.

The ABC cinema closed in October 2000, with the loss of 20 jobs. It was superseded by the multi-screen Odeon complex at Knights Park, on the edge of town.
A public exhibition held in April 2001 to help decide the future of the ABC site found that a majority of the 10,143 votes cast favoured a cinema being located there.

The Times writes on Moday 12 August 2002:
Now showing: residents' fury over Tunbridge Wells cinema site plan (Stephen Gardiner)

When news first broke of a gigantic commercial development on the site of the ABC Cinema Site, diagonally opposite the Tunbridge Wells Town Hall, in November last year, many local residents were disgusted.

But then, this town is special - it has the unique architectural gem of The Pantiles, a cloistered shopping centre dating from 1606, and it has the work of the remarkable Decimus Burton.

After designing Cornwall Terrace and the enormous domed Colosseum on Regent’s Park, London, when he was only 23, Burton spotted the possibilites of this spa town of Tunbridge Wells.

He planned it, securing the open space of the Common for its western boundary, designed Trinity Church in 1827 and went on that same year to develop Calverley Park, completing this and his beautiful Calverley Crescent by 1831. Even he himself, born in 1800, must have been amazed at having done so much by the time he was 31.

Fine architecture establishes a place, creates a landmark, but it can have pitfalls. Attractive, it attracts developers, and given good communications, as there are here, and with the sudden massive pressure for housing in the South East of England (Tunbridge Wells alone wants 2,900 more homes by 2011), here is a combination that has produced, according to the volume house-builders, "a boom town in the commuter belt".

They have arrived in force and, to judge by the multistorey proposal for the cinema site, may destroy the very thing that attracted them there in the first place. This clutter of 48 flats and 7,000 square metres of shopping might well do it at a stroke.

This is by the GLN Development Group, a Tunbridge Wells firm, and is likely to be considered by the planning committee in September.

Damaging developments have been under way since 1934, when some excellent terraces by Burton on Crescent Road and round the corner on Mount Pleasant were demolished to make way for the Town Hall, library and police station, a supremely boring neo-Georgian building by an arch-traditionalist, Sir Percy Thomas. That could not happen today, could it? Probably not, but what can happen is this: one disaster leads to another that is more extreme. The guidelines have gone. That is the case of the proposal for the cinema site: this six to seven-storey block, haphazard in shape, presumably takes its height from two office structures built in the 1960s, one next door, the other over the road and near Trinity Church and The Priory, Burton's only works on the west side of Mount Pleasant.

The presence of these two fine pieces of architecture, however, rams home the necessity of having a building of real stature and quality on this prominent site in this famous historic town.

The directors of GLN fully endorse that, but unfortunately the building proposed falls far short of mark: it is a muddled, fragmented affair which should be completely redesigned.

Continue to browse the interactive Map of Tunbridge Wells Town Centre

The Telephone House Neighbours Association, Tunbridge Wells The aims are to heighten peoples' awareness and concern for the high-density development on Telephone House site, Church Road / York Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1.