The Mayor, Cllr Mike Rusbridge, officially opened Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s new Depot on the North Farm Industrial Estate, Royal Tunbridge Wells, on Thursday 26 June. The Mayor arrived at the Depot in the first of a line of specially selected vehicles, which entered the premises in convoy, and broke through a red ribbon on the way.

The Council’s old Medway Depot site in Royal Tunbridge Wells will be redeveloped to provide new residential properties including at least 58 affordable homes.

The relocation of the Council’s operations and the new housing will make a significant improvement to the quality of the local environment and will include enhancements to the access to the Grosvenor Recreation Ground. The Medway Depot site was sold on Friday 28 March to Fairview New Homes Limited and the money funded the new building at North Farm.

The modern and energy efficient Depot building is the base for the Council’s street scene, waste and recycling services.

Veolia ES Cleanaway (UK) Limited, the Council’s contractors for refuse, recycling and street cleansing, and English Landscapes, the Council’s grounds maintenance contractors, both have bases there.

Cllr Roy Bullock, Leader of the Council, attended the opening and said, ‘It is a triumph that the process of selling the Medway Depot site has paved the way for the construction of much needed affordable housing, whilst at the same time has resulted in a state-of-the-art Depot based away from residential properties in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Well done to all those who have worked so hard on making this project a success.’