Parish Cake - Spring 2018

feature
Have Your Say on £77
Million Civic Spend
Tracy Moore, Tunbridge Wells Borough
Council Cabinet member, writes about
the proposals for investment in the
royal spa town
DID YOU know that of
the people living in the
borough who visit the
Assembly Hall Theatre 40
per cent come from rural
areas and outside Royal
Tunbridge Wells?
With that figure in
mind it’s exciting to
think that in just a few
years’ time the possibility
of seeing even more top
theatre entertainment
without having to make
the journey to London
could be a reality with
a new theatre in the
borough.
Early in December
councillors gave the
go-ahead to proceed to
the next stage of plans
for investment in a new
1,200 seat theatre, civic
centre, office space to
let, underground car park
for 260 cars and a public
square at the entrance
to Calverley Grounds
in the centre of Royal
Tunbridge Wells.
In 2014 the council
adopted a cultural
strategy with an
ambitious 10-year vision
“to grow our role as the
cultural centre of the
Kent and Sussex High
Weald, so that by 2024
the borough of Tunbridge
Wells is nationally
recognised for its vibrant
cultural provision”. I
see the new theatre
and the other planned
investment as essential
ingredients to realising
this aspiration.
There is a real
opportunity for
co-operation
between a new
theatre and
other cultural
venues and
events across the
borough. These
cultural happenings
drive footfall, increase
dwell time and increase
customer spend and
in turn support the
local leisure and retail
economy.
The choice is to invest
or risk decline. Choosing
to do nothing is not the
cheap option; we could
still face costs of millions
of pounds maintaining
and propping up existing
out-dated facilities that
are no longer fit for
purpose.
We have a financial
plan in place to borrow
£77 million for the
proposed scheme. This
ABOVE: Tunbridge
Wells Borough
Council Cabinet
member Tracy Moore.
what do you
think?
has been independently
audited and verified by
experts as being sound
and prudent. We have
identified savings and
efficiencies to service the
debt and some of these
savings have already
begun in anticipation
of the project being
given the go-ahead. It
is quite usual to borrow
money for a long term
investment. The council
is in a position to borrow
at very competitive rates
and government checks
are in place to ensure
councils borrow only an
amount which they can
afford to repay.
Change is never
without controversy
and I realise that not
everyone is going to be
supportive but there are
few projects, if any, that
would get unanimous
support from all quarters.
We have kept people
up to date with the
project through Local,
the residents’ magazine,
and a series of roadshows
across the borough, and
will continue to do this.
We would like your views on the new development for
the next edition of Parish Cake. Please send to brian@
parishcake.co.uk or post to Parish Cake, The Old Fire
Station, Stone Street, Cranbrook TN17 3HF
Parish Cake • Spring 2018 23