Building on success

The beleaguered former cinema site in the heart of Tunbridge Wells is finally being developed after two long decades. Eileen Leahy spoke to Will Bax, CEO of Retirement Villages Group about how it will be breathing new life into this area of town courtesy of a stylish new housing and community development

Anyone who has lived or worked in Tunbridge Wells for a long time will know that the centre of the town has had an infamous ‘grot spot’ for over two decades. We’re referring of course to the former ABC cinema site which has sat as a blot on the TW landscape since the cinema shut in 2000. Visible from a number of vantage points including Church Road, Mount Pleasant and Crescent Road you couldn’t have missed it if you were shopping, socialising or commuting through Tunbridge Wells over the past 24 years. This highly valuable site and its hoardings became as familiar a landmark as the Town Hall and Trinity’s clock tower given it was redundant for so long – despite many failed attempts by developers to buy it.  

But in 2021 a deal was finally done by Retirement Villages Group to develop it into a ‘later living’ residential development, for the over 65s, under its Thrive Living brand. At the time of the deal the group announced it would aim to build 150-180 apartments and would also include a public green space, retail outlets and hospitality offerings too. Fast forward three years and as cranes and lorries started to move in and ground was officially broken last month, it would seem that finally after nearly a quarter of a decade of waiting, Tunbridge Wells will no longer have its notorious ‘grot spot’.  

Retirement Village Group’s Chief Executive Officer Will Bax tells Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine in his own words about the new development and what it will offer to both those who will live there as well as the wider Tunbridge Wells community…

”I live in Kent and grew up not far from Tunbridge Wells, so I have followed the story of the vacant cinema site over the years. I always wondered why this site in the heart of such a fantastic town remained empty for so long. It always puzzled me that no one could figure out a way of unlocking its potential to the benefit of the town.

In 2020, we were made aware that the site was once again, back on the market. We explored the opportunity, and to cut a long story short, in 2021, we agreed to buy it. We then started initial conversations with the Council and more latterly, with a variety of stakeholders to understand their expectations for the site.

Given the site’s location, we felt it needed to integrate better with the town and offer more civic and public amenities. We were always going to do something in the later living category as this was right up our street. As such, we spent a long time talking to people about what they wanted, listening to opinions on how we could enhance our offering and getting to know Tunbridge Wells.

In my experience, understanding the community’s hopes and fears is crucial to creating something genuinely useful- a force for good with longevity. As developers, of course some people opposed our plans, but there were an awful lot of people who were uncertain. The common theme was for something to happen with the site.  

Taking onboard all the feedback we received, we submitted a planning consent for a slightly larger project. Considering Tunbridge Wells’ architectural history, it was essential for the building to be noteworthy. Some of those we talked to wanted a classic Decimus Burton building, while others desired a more Georgian approach. However, given its proximity to the Art Deco Town Hall, and as an architectural reference point, we decided to mirror the Town Hall’s style and scale. The former cinema’s Art Deco design also influenced our choice, and that is the route we chose.

People definitely have different views on this, but we believe the building will fit comfortably within the Tunbridge Wells town centre, and people will adapt to it fairly quickly. An important point is that it’s a civic building, with the ground floor dedicated to retail, hospitality, and leisure. In these spaces we aim to attract independent businesses and to be sanguine with the rents. As we progress, we’ll continue to have lots of conversations with the community on what they want to see and how we can create a space beneficial for both residents and locals. We are not interested in gated luxury residential developments; that’s not our focus.

Instead, we want to build communities that play a valuable part in their town and neighbourhood. Our vision extends beyond exclusive amenities for the residents of our Thrive Living community; the restaurant, the gym and a new public space for the town, will be accessible to everyone, fostering great community spaces. Our company values authenticity and genuine engagement, and as time has gone by, I believe people can see that. As a society, we need better solutions to support our ageing population. Society often views ageing quite negatively. However, we know through running various later living developments around the country, that that these communities are really interesting and vibrant places to live in later life. We’ve been very much inspired by New Zealand, which leads innovation in this space globally.

At Thrive Living, we are deliberately developing in more urban and connected areas, offering better options for clubs, activities, retail, and hospitality. Recently, at the 40th anniversary of our first RGV development in Cranleigh in Surrey, I received a list of over 60 activities available to residents, from arts and crafts to gardening and opera streaming! We need to shine a light on these brilliant ways of living in later life. We want to lance the boil of ageism that we see in our society and instead of referring to later living communities, I think they should be ‘renaissance communities’. It turns the whole argument of ‘we don’t want a load of old people living in our town’ on its head.

Tunbridge Wells has a really interesting challenge around its ageing profile, as young people can’t afford to buy in the town. It’s an important issue Tunbridge Wells needs to figure out. One solution is to deliver excellent options for older people to live independently in later life, unlocking housing that is currently frozen out of the market. 

I am so excited about opening the doors to our new Thrive Living community.  People will be amazed by what they see and the active lifestyles the group of people who live there will play in Tunbridge Wells’ life. We’re very fortunate to have Trinity Theatre right opposite us and we have already forged a valuable partnership with them.

I commend the planning team at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for their high-quality engagement.  It was a different experience to what we’re used to. Cllr Hugo Pound, then Cabinet Minister for Housing, and TWBC Leader Ben Chapelard were incredibly valuable in promoting the project and getting it over the line.

We’re now on-site and making great progress. Our contractor is brilliant, particularly in traffic management and consideration for those living and working around the building site. The development will take about 2.5 years to complete and will consist of 1 and 2-bedroom apartments across four residential blocks. People will also have the choice to rent. Last year, 40% of new residents moving into our communities chose to rent.

This new development will offer amenity-rich housing, including retail, hospitality, a fantastic gym, and a common space accessible to all. We’re good at creating beautiful places that surprise and delight. When people step inside, they’ll think wow, this is different. We’re very excited to be in Tunbridge Wells. Watch this space!”

tunbridge-wells.retirementvillages.co.uk