PLANNING APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED FOR TRANSFORMATIVE MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

• Two new, linked developments will address local housing need and deliver exceptional sports and leisure facilities in Tonbridge & Malling
• Plans include ‘premium, destination golf driving range’ and padel courts 
• Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club set to be relocated to a purpose-built new home at Oast Park Sports Hub

Plans to deliver two new developments have taken a significant step forward, with the submission of two planning applications that, if approved, are set to deliver transformational new leisure facilities and new homes in the Tonbridge & Malling borough.

Developer Obee Estates is progressing plans for a 20-hectare mixed-use development at Oast Park at Birling, as well as a residential development of 50 affordable homes in Larkfield.

Applications for both sites have been submitted to Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council – a hybrid planning application for Oast Park, and a ‘sister’ application for the Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club site at 251 New Hythe Lane. Together, strategic development of the two sites will bring significant sports and leisure facilities, new homes, and highways upgrades to the area.

Oast Park – a leisure-led, mixed-use development

Obee Estates plans to transform the disused site of Oast Park Golf Course into an attractive, mixed-use development combining an attractive residential area and high-quality leisure provision. Regeneration of the former driving range will see golf facilities return to the site, which closed in 2017, with the creation of a premium, destination golf driving range, together with bar and restaurant. Padel tennis courts are also included in the plans, bringing sought-after facilities for the popular sport to the area.

Central to the plans is the relocation of nearby Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club to a new, purpose-built home at Oast Park Sports Hub. A game-changing move that is set to resolve issues the club has faced for many years with poor facilities, no room for expansion at its current site and waterlogged pitches leading to repeated match cancellations.

A new clubhouse and floodlit 3G pitches will allow for all-weather, year-round matches and training for the club, which was recently promoted into the SCEFL Premier division. Facilities will allow for growth and provide dedicated facilities, recognising for example the growing popularity and success of women’s football. The Sports Hub will also be available for use by local community sports clubs that are experiencing the effects of a shortage of training facilities in the area, which increased significantly following the recent sale of K Sports.

The Oast Park site offers excellent accessibility to the A228 / M20 and local train stations and a new dedicated access into Oast Park from the A228 is incorporated in the plans. An attractive tree lined avenue, with Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club on the left and the driving range and padel courts to the right will lead into the new development. Open land to the north and west of the development boundary will link with the open countryside beyond.

The hybrid application for Oast Park includes the following:

Full planning permission is requested for:

• Provision of two floodlit 3G football pitches, club house and spectator stands
• A new junction into the development from the A228
• Parking and landscaping

Outline planning permission is requested for:

• Up to 150 new homes, delivered in phases
• A premium golf driving range, Padel courts and parking
• Parking, landscaping and open space

Delivering new, affordable homes in Larkfield

An outline planning application for 50 new affordable homes on the current site of Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club is set to further increase housing supply to the area.

Together the two developments are set to provide 25% affordable housing of the 200 homes proposed across the two sites, with the Larkfield site providing 50 affordable homes in an area of need. The scheme will incorporate a new attractive open landscaped space fronting the road, adjacent to Larkfield Playing Fields.

Thomas Obee of Obee Estates said, “The submission of two planning applications is a key milestone in our ambition to deliver high quality new community sport and leisure facilities and increase housing supply to address acute need in the area, including affordable homes, in Tonbridge and Malling.

“Our vision is that Oast Park will be a destination for leisure, with a premium golf driving range and padel courts, as well as providing a new community sports facility and a new home for Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club.

“Crucially, it’s a significant step forward for the football club’s vision to relocate to new, purpose-built, all-weather facilities, fit for their future and mitigating the daily pressures they face with matches being cancelled owing to the weather.”

A game changing new home for the Larks

The football club’s relocation is central to Obee Estates’ plan. The costs associated with delivering this new facility are significantly higher than the income from redeveloping their existing site. Additionally, the land at Oast Park will be gifted to the Club.

Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club’s stadium and clubhouse site at New Hythe Lane is no longer fit for purpose for the club’s standards and lack of suitable training facilities. The Larkfield & New Hythe FC site is constrained by its location, making it impossible to expand there, therefore redevelopment of affordable housing is proposed and the club relocated to a new improved site where it can provide many additional local community benefits.

John Michel, Chairman of the club said, “The time is now for us to save and future-proof our club. We need everyone to support these plans, otherwise there won’t be a Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club. We’ve had another season filled with a lack of local training facilities and match cancellations right across our adult and youth teams and it really highlights how essential these new facilities are to us, our players and the local community who will benefit.

“The submission of the planning applications is a real milestone in building facilities that support the growth and long-term sustainability of the club.  We can’t wait to get going and are asking everyone to get behind this so that we can bring the plans to a reality.”

The planning applications can be viewed on the Tonbridge & Malling Planning Portal, by entering the following application references:

251a New Hythe Lane application reference 24/02074/PA

Oast Park application reference 24/02078/PA