I have worked on projects in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, including Hungershall Park Close, Tunbridge Wells, a residential conversion in Royal Tunbridge Wells, a garage conversion and porch in Pembury, a landscape and planting scheme in Goudhurst and a change of use for The C Candle Company.
Much of this borough is protected landscape or conservation area, so understanding how the council weighs the setting of a proposal is part of getting a project onto the right footing.
- Council planning pages
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
- Local Plan
- Tunbridge Wells Local Plan 2020-2038 (adopted December 2025, replacing the older Core Strategy and Site Allocations plans). Local Plan page.
- What to submit with an application
- Local validation requirements.
- Article 4 directions
- Tunbridge Wells uses targeted Article 4 directions rather than a single borough-wide one. The most significant remove permitted development rights for change of use from offices and other business premises to residential in Royal Tunbridge Wells town centre, alongside several site-specific directions, so it is worth checking the council's current list before assuming a permitted development right applies. Article 4 directions.
- Community Infrastructure Levy
- Tunbridge Wells has not adopted a Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule, so developer contributions are secured through Section 106 planning obligations rather than CIL.
- Conservation areas and heritage
- Heritage and landscape constraints are central in this borough. More than 70 per cent of it lies within the High Weald National Landscape (formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), which carries the highest level of landscape protection, and there are 34 conservation areas, including Royal Tunbridge Wells with The Pantiles and historic settlements such as Cranbrook and Goudhurst, alongside many listed buildings and areas of Green Belt. Conservation pages.
- Local guidance
- The council adopts Supplementary Planning Documents that add detail to its Local Plan policies, including guidance on alterations and extensions. Supplementary planning documents.
What this means for your project
In Tunbridge Wells, two things shape much of the residential work I do: the High Weald National Landscape, which covers most of the borough, and the borough’s conservation areas and listed buildings. If your property sits within the National Landscape or a conservation area, expect the council to look closely at scale, materials and the effect on the wider setting, and expect to need an application for work that might be permitted development elsewhere. There is no Community Infrastructure Levy here, so larger schemes are dealt with through Section 106 obligations instead. I check the current position for your specific address before any drawings are prepared.
Last checked: 26 June 2026. page reviewed Planning policy, charges and local designations change over time, so please confirm the current position with the council before relying on this summary.