Better Streets for St John's and St James' Community Engagement

This community engagement will run from Friday 25 October to Monday 9 December 2024. In addition to this online survey, in-person events are taking place on the following dates, where you can meet the Project Team and ask any questions you may have:

• Tuesday 19 November between 4-7pm at The Pavilion in St John’s Recreation Ground
• Saturday 23 November 11-2pm at Grosvenor & Hilbert Park Hub
• Tuesday 26 November 4-7pm at Grosvenor & Hilbert Park Hub

In response to concerns raised by residents about traffic and parking in local streets, TWBC commissioned Phil Jones Associates to work with officers, Councillors and residents on the Better Streets project for the St John’s and St James’ areas of Royal Tunbridge Wells. The project boundaries, shown below, also includes areas of Southborough, High Brooms, Sherwood and Park wards.

The aim of the project is to understand residents’ concerns in detail and to prepare concept designs that would make the area more pleasant to live in and the streets safer for walking, wheeling and cycling, including creating safer routes to school.

To date, engagement with the local community has included:

• Summer 2023 – Initial online engagement via the Council’s Talking Point platform which provided an opportunity for residents to identify their concerns and ideas for improvement (pinpointed on a map): 580 participants

• November 2023 – Community Street Audit (walk around the area) undertaken with our consultants and some local residents and Councillors

• November 2023 – Drop-in Workshop held at Grosvenor & Hilbert Park hub: Approximately 50 attendees

• Autumn 2023 – Meetings with Headteachers from local schools including: The Skinners School, St James’ Primary School, St Barnabas Primary School and St Augustine’s Primary School

• March 2024 – Online engagement via Talking Point about the Better Streets Draft Vision Report: 276 responses (plus additional emails)

• March 2024 – Drop-in Workshop held at Grosvenor & Hilbert Park hub: Approximately 60 attendees

If you have not engaged with the project to date, please be assured that there is still plenty of time to make your views known. You do not have to be a resident to respond.

We are now seeking feedback on two separate Concept Designs and some Enhancement Measures (which could be delivered alongside one of the Concept Designs, or on their own) for each area.

All of the design solutions included in this engagement are for discussion with the local community at this stage and no final decisions have been taken on implementing any of the measures shown.

The results of this engagement will feed into further discussions with Kent County Council (as the local highway authority) to agree what could be delivered. In order to implement any new measures that the community and Kent County Council (KCC) supported, TWBC would need to bid for more funding from Active Travel England.

Please complete the survey(s) below with reference to the attached Plans. There is one survey form for each of the areas, but please complete both if you have comments you want to make on St John’s and St James’.

If you have any further queries regarding this engagement please email: consultations@tunbridgewells.gov.uk