3G Planning Application

29th February 2024: Full Council Meeting 4th March

(Please note, this update can also be read in our news section.)

Our Planning Committee met and considered Langton Green Community Sports Association's planning application for a 3G pitch for the first time on 12th February. After listening to members of the public and holding their own discussion, committee members formulated a recommendation to Full Council as to whether to object to, support, or remain neutral on the application. You can view the meeting minutes here.

Full Council will meet on Monday 4th March to consider this recommendation, discuss the application further and hold a formal vote. Their comments will then be submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Members of the public are again welcome to attend this meeting, and there will be a public open session at the beginning of the meeting when they can speak.

Please remember that making your comments to the parish council does not mean you have commented on the application itself - you must add your comments on the TWBC website (find the link towards the bottom of this page) if you want them to be taken into account. You can continue to comment until at least the 5th March, and possibly for longer, depending on when the borough council's Planning Committee meets to decide on the application. We will continue to post updates about the final deadline for commenting here and on Facebook.

28th February 2024: Clarification of Points Raised by Residents 

We would like to clarify the following points which have been raised about the LGCSA 3G pitch application:  

1. LGCSA have the potential to apply for funding from the Football Foundation to build the pitch, and their planning application is one step towards this." To be clear, no money has been offered to Speldhurst Parish Council (SPC) during the process of this application, and we have no financial incentive regarding this application. 
2. LGCSA have stated in the press that they have been actively involved in community engagement since December. We sympathise with residents who do not feel that this engagement has reached them, and as a parish council, we have not seen this engagement or been consulted by LGCSA on the application - other than their social media posts - either. SPC have been informed in the last couple of days that LGCSA have been engaging with some groups since November 2023.
3. LGCSA did inform SPC on 1/12/2023 that a planning application was about to be submitted. However, LGCSA also said they could not provide or discuss any of the details with SPC at that time. The first time SPC saw the details was when the application was posted by TWBC.
4. Without any detail, or knowledge of when the application would be submitted, SPC were unable to examine the application any sooner than when it arrived, and we have done so as a priority. 
5. As soon as the application landed, we began actively reaching out to residents as best we could, and awareness is now growing. Naturally, this is taking some time, and we have successfully secured an extension for commenting; residents may now comment up until the application is heard at the TWBC Planning Committee meeting, date to be confirmed. Please find the link to the planning portal commenting function towards the bottom of this page. 
6. LGCSA have asked us to remind residents that it is not the applicant who has a responsibility to inform residents of their application, but the planning authority, which is TWBC. 
7. Earlier this week, SPC became aware of a Sports England / Football Foundation / TWBC survey of Tunbridge Wells Borough which identified Langton Green as a suitable area with a need for an all-weather pitch. This survey was conducted in 2020 and the Sports England's comments on the planning portal are the first our current councillors have heard of it. We are currently seeking further information about the survey, but it appears to have been arranged at levels higher than the parish council, without our consultation.

Please get in touch if you would like to ask us any further questions.

23rd February 2024: An Update on the Deadline for Commenting 

We have received a number of questions from residents about how long they have to comment on the 3G planning application. 

In answer to these questions, we can confirm that Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) has advised us that its Planning Committee will now be responsible for making a decision about the application. Usually, a Planning Officer decides whether or not to grant a planning application, but due to the size and significance of this one, it has been agreed to assign it to the Committee. 

This means that anyone wishing to comment on the application can continue to do so until the Committee meets. We do not yet know when this meeting is scheduled for, but it will be after 5th March, which is the deadline for us - the parish council - to submit our response.

As soon as we hear the date of the TWBC meeting we will publish it here and on our Facebook page. With that said, we encourage you to submit your own comments as soon as you can, so that there is sufficient time for your feedback to be taken into account. 

Update 7th February 2024: Public Meetings 

Residents are welcome to attend one of the following public meetings when LGCSA’s proposal for a 3G artificial grass pitch will be considered by parish councillors.

Planning Committee meeting:  Monday 12th February at 7.30pm in the Palmer Room, Langton Green Village Hall – this is a standard meeting of the Planning Committee when this application will be considered by councillors and an initial response will be agreed. There will be a public open session at the beginning of the meeting when members of the public will be invited to give feedback, ask questions, and voice concerns. 

Full Council meeting:  Monday 4th March at 7.30pm in the Palmer Room, Langton Green Village Hall  – all parish councillors will be in attendance at this meeting to decide a response to the application on behalf of the parish council. Again, there will be a public open session at the beginning of the meeting.

31st January 2024: Langton Green Community Sports Association (LGCSA) has submitted a planning application for a 3G artificial grass pitch adjacent to the recreation ground at Langton Green. To read their proposal and have your say, please visit the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) website: 24/00235/FULL | Creation of 3G Artificial Grass Pitch with perimeter fencing, hardstanding areas, storage container, floodlights, access footpaths, tree removal and replacement planting | Langton Green Recreation Ground Speldhurst Road Langton Green Tunbridge Wells Kent TN3 0JJ (midkent.gov.uk).

Please note that Speldhurst Parish Council are consultees only which means that we submit comments/feedback on behalf of the parish which the TWBC Planning Officer will take into account, however, we do not make the final decision on the application. LGCSA has not held any discussions with SPC about their planning application and councillors viewed it for the first time when the application went live. 

The TWBC Planning Officer will make their decision based on comments left on their planning portal in addition to ‘material considerations’ ie. legitimate and appropriate planning reasons. A list of these considerations can be found in the Informal Guide PDF document below. This has been written by our council Chair Paul Curry, and will help you better understand the planning application process and how to make effective comments.  

As with any sizable planning application taking place in the parish, we encourage as many residents as possible to give feedback. The deadline is 1st March 2024.