The countryside between Eridge and Tunbridge Wells could soon look very different with almost 500 new homes and a huge new sports complex.
In January we reported on plans by Tunbridge Wells Rugby Football Club (TWRFC) to move from its Frant Road site to a new 35 acre location at Chase Farm in Bunny Lane. 184 houses would be built at its old site.
But two additional new planning applications for countryside sites nearby, could take the total of new homes to 487 across three sites.
Proposals have now been submitted for 178 new homes at Pinewood Farm in Frant Road (between Bunny Lane and TWRFC), and a separate plan for 125 new homes at Spratsbrook Farm in Eridge Road.
The proposal for the new sports facilities for TWRFC cover 35 acres at Chase Farm in Bunny Lane – on land within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This would provide six new rugby pitches, three cricket pitches, a two storey rugby club house, a one-storey cricket pavilion, and five new padel courts.
The plans for new housing on the existing rugby club site are for a mix of flats, two, three and four bedroomed homes. Of the 184 new houses, 35 per cent would be social or affordable properties.
At Pinewood Farm, the same developer, Esquire Developments, has submitted plans to build 178 new homes and a new children’s nursery or GP surgery. These would be a mix two, three and four bedroomed houses and flats with a total of 63 affordable or social homes.
A different developer, Spratsbrook Estates Ltd c/o Dandara South East, wants to build 125 new homes at Spratsbrook Farm on the edge of Tunbridge Wells. These would also be a mix of market and affordable or social homes.
Although these locations are between Tunbridge Wells and Wealden, they fall within the Wealden district so Wealden District Council will be deciding whether to approve the proposals.
Esquire Developments say their proposals have been submitted following a significant public engagement and consultation exercise. This involved public exhibitions with details of the sites, a questionnaire, a consultation website, a questionnaire, and a leaflet drop. They said more than 400 people had engaged with the proposals.
People had raised concerns about the safety of the A267 Frant Road to Bunny Lane which is dangerous with frequent accidents, and they also said the plans would put a huge strain on Frant. Among the other fears expressed by residents were the lack of infrastructure in the area, inadequate parking and the increase in traffic.
The Sussex Ornithological Society is opposing the plans. It says the land to the south of Tunbridge Wells, close to the sites “is an important area for biodiversity and has nationally significant populations of certain bird species”.
Addressing some of the concerns raised, Esquire Homes said: “The recent planning reforms introduced by the Government have increased the housing requirement for a number of authorities across the country, including WDC. The Government also now requires all local planning authorities (LPAs) to meet their housing requirement.
“As such, there is a requirement for WDC to allocate sufficient land to meet this requirement. Due to the significant proportion of the district that is located within the National Landscape, a proportion of homes will need to be allocated within the High Weald.”
It added the proposed scheme had been fully assessed by its transport consultant and had been submitted to KCC Highways and ESCC Highways and assessed as part of their pre-application process.
Writing on the TWRFC website, its chairman, Mike Rigby, said the new sports facilities in Bunny Lane would be “a community asset to be proud of”.
He said: “Our existing neighbours are understandably upset that the farmland many of their houses were built on will potentially be subject to further developed as part of this scheme. But there are many upsides for our community to consider that offer considerable benefit to our town.”
For more details of the planning applications visit:
Frant Road and Bunny Lane: https://planning.wealden.gov.uk/Planning/Display/WD/2025/2241/MAJ
Pinewood Farm: https://planning.wealden.gov.uk/Planning/Display/WD/2025/2873/MAJ
Spratsbrook Farm: https://planning.wealden.gov.uk/Planning/Display/WD/2026/0118/MAJ