07 September 2008The redevelopment of the western side of Blighs could be a step closer after design principles for the site were approved by Sevenoaks District Council's Cabinet.
In the coming months, the Council, which owns the majority of the site, will be consulting with local people to refine its concept designs, which includes homes and green open space, before a planning application is lodged and the Council enters into an agreement with a developer.
Sevenoaks District Council has been working in association with the Kent Architecture Centre, to develop a blueprint for Blighs.
The proposals consist of five blocks up to a maximum of four to five stories in height made up of about 100 residential dwellings, a proportion of which will be affordable housing, commercial and retail units. Floor space has been earmarked for the Sevenoaks Club.
Communal courtyards and public green space are proposed between the blocks to reduce the visual impact of the development and to maximise daylight and sunlight, reduce overlooking and overshadowing, whilst reducing noise impact from traffic along the London Road.
Sustainability is at the forefront of the concept. It is envisaged that the development will use the latest technology, such as combined heat and power, to reduce carbon emissions resulting from the site when in use.
About 90 underground car parking spaces are proposed in the outline scheme with the possibility of the area being used as a covered market taking place once a week. Twenty-five existing spaces in the London Road car park will remain.
Pembroke Road car park, which currently operates under a temporary planning permission, would be the main access point to the underground car park with the remainder landscaped to improve the visual appearance of the development when entering the town centre from Tubbs Hill.
The next stage will see the Council carrying out specific planning studies over the coming months followed by public consultation in the autumn. The consultation will include illustrative designs and a scale model of the proposed development. Residents will be encouraged to comment on the design.
A Master Plan for the development should be completed towards the end of the year.
Local people can find out more about the proposals by visiting the Council's website www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/blighs.
Cllr Peter Fleming, Leader of Sevenoaks District Council, says: "It is widely acknowledged that the western side of Blighs is an important town centre site very much in need of improvement. By working closely with design experts the Kent Architecture Centre we now have a blueprint for an environmentally friendly development that is intended to be sensitive to its surroundings whilst being economically viable to develop. Over the coming months we will be asking local people to help us finalise our vision before we move to the planning stage."
Sevenoaks District Council's Cabinet agreed conceptual designs for Blighs at its meeting on Thursday 15 May 2008.
The site considered for redevelopment stretches from the corner of Pembroke Road along the west side of Blighs up to 52 London Road (Woodland kitchens). At present the site comprises of two car parks and 66 London Road, a 1960s office style building occupied by the Sevenoaks Club and the District Council.
The first stage of the Blighs development, on the east of the site, opened shortly before Christmas 2000 and consisted of mainly retail units with some commercial space and housing.
