The top of a building in Tonbridge will soon be covered in vegetation as part of council plans to improve air quality in the town.

The 'green roof' will be installed on the former Southeastern offices in High Street, above Poundstretcher which is on the notoriously busy Vale Road roundabout.

This means the roof of the building, due to be converted into flats, will soon be covered in wildlife and vegetation. It will be the first living roof in central Tonbridge.

This comes after previous plans to expand the building by two stories were rejected by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council last year because of environmental concerns.

Councillors Jon Botten, Matt Boughton and James Lark say the green roof was proposed as a condition of developing the existing building only.

They hope the introduction will improve biodiversity and drainage as well as reduce pollution at one of the busiest junctions in the town.

Cllr Boughton said: “We have managed to reject a totally unsuitable proposal at 1 High Street, and instead ensured that a green roof will be introduced to improve air quality here. It shows that the Council does prioritise defending our environment over the wishes of developers.

"Anything we can do to reduce pollution in the area we will. It's taken quite a long and complicated negotiation process but we now have the answer."

Cllr Botten said: “There is a need for more affordable housing in Tonbridge and this development provides this in a sustainable way. The introduction of the green roof will protect those living here. By rejecting the initial proposals we have also ensured that the whole area will look more welcoming.”

It's not yet known when the work will start.

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