Plans for a proposed new garden community to be known as Tudeley Village have been released today.

The scheme is being suggested by the Hadlow Estate, owned by the Teacher family, and is to sit on land north and south of the London to Ashford rail-line, midway between Tonbridge and Paddock Wood.

The estate today held the first of two public exhibitions of the plans at One Warwick Park Hotel in Tunbridge Wells, the plans can also be viewed online.

The proposal site stretches for 120 acres north of the rail-line, and 280 acres south and would be accessed via the B2017.

As well as a wide variety of housing types, the master plan indicates sites for workshops, offices, cafes and shops.

There will be a three-form entry primary school on site and easy access promised to a new secondary school due to be built just outside Tonbridge.

There are three areas of ancient woodland within the site. They will be retained as will the buildings of Bank Farm, but those these will be converted to residential use.

The Alder Stream runs through the site, but the majority of the land does not fall within a floodplain. There will be no building development on the part that does.

The masterplan indicates a village green, community hall and playing fields, and the Hadlow Estate hopes that everything will be provided on site to make a thriving community.

Emphasing its own historic roots, the estate promises the scheme will be "built beautifully to last" unlike what it describes as many modern "monoculture estates."

The land is part of the much larger 4,000 acre Hadlow Estate.

It is currently used by a livery business, and for arable and fruit farming.

The masterplan talks of building 360 homes in the first phase - by 2024.
Then by 2036, 1,900 homes will have been built on the south side of the rail-line, with a further "600 to 900" in the years after that to the north - all subject to a grant of planning permission from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

Tunbridge Wells is currently developing a new Local Plan to direct development until 2036, and is looking to provide 13,560 homes by then.

But Tunbridge Wells, like other authorities, is also fearful that the government is about to move the goalposts yet again and require the authority to plan for an even higher target.

The public are invited to visit the website, where there is an opportunity to give their views on the proposals.

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